Racing With The Sun
by Zelda Zonkk
Summary: It is my very unfortunate duty to inform you that one day, you and I shall meet. You can call me Nero. Like the Roman Emperor. Only, I am but a humble Reaper who has stupidly gotten herself into Eric Northman's debt. Lucky me, huh? EricxOC.
1. Nero the Reaper

**A/N:** _Well. Making a new TB story, and I thought why not make it a vain and eccentric character. So I would greatly appreciate reviews letting me know if they like it or not, or if it should be continued. Thanks a bunch, fellow Trubies! :)_

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><p>- Prologue –<p>

_**Nero the Reaper**_

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><p><em>Because I could not stop for Death,<br>He kindly stopped for me.  
>The Carriage held but just ourselves,<br>And Immortality.**  
>~Emily Dickinson<strong>_

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><p>It is my very unfortunate duty to inform you that one day, you and I shall meet. That's sounds quite ominous and threatening when I say it like that, as if I am some kind of loan-shark that you owe a lot of money to. Although I am after something of yours, it is not your money. Perhaps introducing myself would make the impending meeting easier for you? You can call me Nero. Like the Roman Emperor. I hear he was quite conceited and narcissistic, so I don't see why I'm named after him. I mean, I might be beautiful, intelligent, charismatic and have a wonderful sense of humour that seems to draw people in like a moth to a flame, but that doesn't make me <em>conceited<em>, does it? It just means I know greatness when I see it. That's not a crime, is it?

Even if it is not me you meet, I'm afraid I must tell you that it will be another of my kind. Someone less important and interesting, I'm sure. There are as many of us as there is of you, assuming that the very unsuspecting person who chose to read this is a human. Maybe you aren't. Maybe you're just a troll who happened to discover this beneath a bridge someplace, or a mountain giant who stumbled across it in a cave. Actually, that's completely stupid. Everyone knows trolls can't read. Anyway, there are a lot of us to deal with the fickle little humans. Far from being a Roman Emperor, I am but a humble Reaper. It's awfully fun to introduce yourself as 'Nero the Reaper'. Go on, just say it out-loud, you know I'm right. Though I think I'd make a brilliant Emperor. Imagine having so many servants. It'd be paradise, getting to boss someone around and yet still know they love you simply because you're better than them and they'll always think you're a beautiful ruler. Huh. A Reaper can dream. But that's not why we're here.

We're here purely to take your souls when you die.

Depressing subject, I know. Death tends to put a downer on things, it's just his way. He can be a nice guy once you get to know him. After all, I should know. He is my boss. We call him Grim though, it's much easier than calling him Death all the time. That's too morbid, right? At least now you know that when you die, you could ask to meet Nero the Reaper and see how it goes. I promise to take extra care with your soul on your departure to the afterlife. It will be like those plane journeys humans take, where I will check your ticket (or in other words, take your soul), tell you about the fantastic food and service we offer on the flight and tell what you what to do in event of an emergency. Brilliant. Only, I'm not exactly well-known by my fellow Reapers for being particularly…caring, when it comes to souls.

Then again, I work for Death. No wonder I'm so careless. Although Grim's charming and all that, he does not understand the term 'worker's rights' and he definitely doesn't know what a Trade Union is. I haven't had a holiday since 1802, and that was only for three whole days. Sucks, right? Oh well. I'm not gonna go storming to Alliyah, whinging about all my puny little problems. I should probably tell you about Alliyah, since I've told you about myself. Firstly, she's nowhere near as interesting or entertaining as I am. She's more demure, rather boring at times. She likes to think she's wholesome and good, though that's a bunch of bull-honky. A Reaper, being good and wholesome? Hah! You have more chance of getting a Leprechaun to willingly hand over his gold to you.

Alliyah is one of his Secretaries. One of Grim's, I mean. It's quite similar to the vampires. They have Sheriffs, like we have Secretaries. All our problems, complaints or just plain irritation is passed straight onto them, and in turn they tell Grim and he'll probably do something to sort it out, being the nice guy he is. Luckily for me, I live with Alliyah. She's rarely ever there, being the busy lady she is. She controls most of Louisiana, dealing with any Reapers who aren't very happy. An unhappy Reaper is not something you want to run into.

Anyway, back to _me_, I'm in a bit of a tizzy now. I'm not currently after your soul, no sir, you're lucky about that. I'm after a woman called Maudette Pickens, and in order to find her I have to ask one of the vampire Sheriffs for permission. Which I really, really don't want to do.

"Nero, I am begging you," Alliyah called from the kitchen area, a room we rarely if ever use. "Just for once, can you please forget your pride? We have very strained relations with the vampires."

"That's because they're arrogant and full of themselves."

"Looks who's talking," she replied curtly, with some annoyance in her voice.

I lounged on the sofa, painting my nails a bright red colour, thinking deeply. Meet a vampire, ask permission to do my job in his area and for his protection from other vampires in order to so? Or just do as I please and deal with the vampires myself? Huh. They'd probably get the Magister after me if I didn't ask for permission first, which means a lot of trouble on my part. If the Magister gets involved, Alliyah as Secretary of Area 5 has to get involved to, so she can defend me. And if that doesn't work…my Boss gets involved. I've only met him once and I don't actually remember it.

Why, you wonder in bemusement? It was at least a thousand years ago, and I had just died and he was offering me a chance at being a Reaper. I don't remember my real name, or anything about my human life, just waking up and beginning my career as a Reaper. After pleasantly chatting with Grim, he decided to name me after the Roman Emperor, Nero because it 'fitted my personality'. Gee, thanks a bunch. I did a lot of research on Nero, and found I like him a lot, despite his descriptions of being cruel and uncaring. So here I am. Sitting on a couch in Shreveport, debating whether or not I'm going to ask for permission before I get skinned alive by a furious vampire Magister for breaking vampire laws.

"Why should we bow to the vampires anyway? It's never worked like that before."

"Nero," Alliyah sighed, walking into the living room and taking a seat in the armchair across from me. "Do you not see how hard the vampires are working to fit in with the humans? We should do the same."

"Fit in with the humans?" I repeated before snorting in laughter. "Alliyah, we're there to take their souls, not make friends wit them. Besides, look what's happening to the vamps. Staked by the crazy religious humans. I, for one, do not want to have crazy humans after me."

"You don't die if you get staked though," she shrugged.

I stared at her, incredulous. "But I still feel _pain_, Alliyah. You'd have to be stupid to follow the vampires lead and come out to the humans. They can't know we exist. It would mess up the entire balance between life and death. Our job is to keep that balance."

She rolled her eyes. "You are going to go to Eric Northman, Nero. He is Sheriff of Area 5, so he's the guy we need to talk to. I don't care if I have to drag you, you are going."

I stuck my tongue out at her, grinning childishly. "Make me."

She laughed, chucking a cushion at me. I'd rather ask Grim for a raise before I bow to someone like Eric Northman. Shall I tell you about the wonderful Eric? I haven't seen him since…huh, it must have been World War II, if I remember correctly. He was with his polite Maker Godric then, who seemed a bit of a depression case if you ask me. Very quiet, subdued. Eric, on the other hand, was still a little baby vamp. He had no control over his temper, which is never a good thing for vampires. They like to be in control, every minute of every day. I mean night. Not day. Oops.

I've heard through the usually correct grapevine that Godric is somewhere in Texas now. And his little baby Eric is making a name for himself down here in Louisiana, owning a bar. A vampire bar, to be exact. Perhaps he'll buy me a drink, for old time's sake. Human alcohol doesn't affect me, but it sure tastes nice. I sighed, realizing it would be much easier to ask Eric instead of having to fight with a bunch of vampires myself. This Magister guy doesn't sound very friendly. I looked Alliyah in the eye, and nodded solemnly.

"Alright. I'll do it. I'll go to his bar tonight. Happy now?"

Alliyah beamed at me. "Of course. And no jokes about meeting the Sun. Or sharing a coffin with him. Or being staked."

"You never let me have any fun."

In the human world, it is quite common to greet someone with the word 'Hello!' in order to begin a conversation. I find the words you say after saying 'Hello' to be far more important than the actual greeting itself. For example, if I turned to you and said, 'Hello! I just hid that dead body in the woods, like you told me to!' then that means we are probably going to have a conversation about the dreadful crime we had just committed and marvel at our genius for coming up with the heinous and totally original idea of burying the dead body in the woods. Perhaps I might say 'Hello! I see you've cut your hair!' which would thus lead us to a boring, monotonous conversation about your latest hairstyle, which probably looks hideous anyway. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll start the conversation with, "Hello! I was just wondering if I could have permission to take souls in your area?"

Which is exactly how I'm beginning a conversation with Eric Northman, who funnily enough isn't even human in the first place. Vampires don't usually say 'Hello' or even a 'How do you do?'. They don't even shake hands. Eric, a particularly old vampire, would never lower himself to shaking hands with a mere human of course, but luckily for me, I'm not human anyway. It just sucks that he doesn't shake hands with _any _species, so I was left smiling like a fool at him. He seemed a little shocked at first, but he knew exactly who I was, which is flattering.

"Nero. What a…" – he dragged his gaze up and down my body slowly – "_lovely_ surprise. To what to I owe the honour?"

"I just told you. I need permission before I can take souls in your area."

"Permission?" he repeated, seemingly surprised. He had his hands crossed behind his back, standing behind his desk with a deep, thoughtful look on his face. He was wearing a nice black wife-beater that accentuated his lovely muscles, I must say. He even stretched for my pleasure – or amusement, because honestly vampires really love showing off. Though I'm not one to talk.

"Yes, Eric, permission."

"I've never had a Reaper ask for that before," he smirked.

"Yeah, well, aren't you lucky it's me asking eh?"

"Oh trust me," he murmured sarcastically. "I'm _thrilled_."

I glared at him. This was my valuable time he was wasting. I could be doing something else right now, something _important_. Like re-painting my nails. Or watching grass grow. Or pondering philosophy. Anything other than this. "So do I have it or not?"

"Well, I want to know a few things first."

"Like what?"

"Seeing your kind only means one thing, Nero."

"Whoa, hold on Mr Charming, '_my kind_'?"

He winked. "Yes, Nero, your kind."

"That's a bit rich coming from the vampires looking for equal rights, going around making fun of other races."

"I was not making fun," he sneered. "Just stating that seeing you means someone is going to die."

"Oh don't make it out to be such a depressing thing! Death can be good, too, you know it means _change, _something new and fun to deal with in the afterlife!"

"Right. Take a seat, Nero," Eric murmured, motioning at the comfy-looking chair in front of his desk.

Surprising myself, I did as he asked. He was smiling in a secretive way, like he knew something I didn't. I watched him very carefully, noting every move. It seemed crazy when you think about it, a Reaper asking a vampire for some help. What is happening to our world? I sighed and leaned further in my chair. I felt restless. "What else would you like to know?"

"Who is going to die, of course."

"Classified," I grinned. "At least, until you agree…"

He narrowed his eyes, smirking. "You're playing a dangerous game Nero."

"Tell me something I don't know," I muttered under my breath. "But if you really want to know, you either agree to give me permission and protection from the evil little vamps lurking around your area, or I just leave right now." I stood up, but he quickly motioned for me to sit back down.

"Not so fast. We have a lot to talk about Nero."

Great. Just _great_.


	2. The Bird and the Worm

**A/N: **_Thanks, everyone, for the lovely reviews, alerts, favourites and such! It has made me immensely happy :)_

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><p>- Chapter One –<p>

_**The Bird and the Worm**_

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><p><em><em>"_Why does the eye see a thing more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?"_

**- Leonardo da Vinci**

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><p>It is very difficult, as I'm sure you undoubtedly understand, to reign in your temper when someone is blatantly insulting you to your face. Why once, in 1432 if I remember correctly, I had a drunken sleaze-ball of a man leer at me in the streets as I waited for him to die in order to take his soul and do my job. He said some very…<em>rude <em>things about my body, and what he would like to do to it exactly, and so I punched him in the face, as ladies do when insulted. I broke his nose with ease and almost cracked his skull open on the concrete ground. I wasn't the cause of his death, oh no. His constant drinking was the murderer in that particular case. I just bought some nice knick-knacks from a nearby market while I waited. I love knick-knacks. And while the man in front of me was neither drunk nor leering at me – at least, not all the time – he was certainly being insulting.

"Godric tells me your kind are not to be trusted."

"He did, did he? Hm. I find that highly pompous coming from a _vampire_, of all creatures. If I recall correctly, '_your kind_' aren't exactly high on the list of trustworthy people."

He nodded, seemingly accepting this. For at least ten minutes, he had listed every nasty trait he think of about Reapers. Cunning. Over-confident. Bad-tempered. Very sneaky. Death-bringers (well duh).

I wanted to ask if vampires just run through the pretty flowers all night, singing about their feelings and caring for injured animals in the picture-perfect little woodlands while faithfully going to church each week to pray for their (if they even have any) souls. As memory served, vampires were vicious, blood-thirsty, cruel and brutal killers. Reapers don't kill the humans who's souls they come to take. We're like Angels compared to them, but Eric clearly didn't think so.

"You report to me, Nero, and no one else, understood?"

"Oh, let me just tell Grim I'm not working for him anymore, shall I?" I snarled sarcastically.

Eric's jaw clenched, and he was trying very hard not to let his fangs come out, I could tell. "You knew what I meant. You report to Alliyah, of course, but I meant out of the vampires. You'll tell me who's name is on that list, even if they vanish before you get here." I had explained the concept of a human being saved from Grim by another human to him, and though he found it a nuisance just like the Reapers did, he accepted it. "You realize this means you're mine, right?"

I blinked, my anger evaporating quite suddenly, being replaced instead with confusion. "Yours? Why would I be _yours_?"

He didn't seem insulted by the snort I let out in disgust; instead, he clasped his hands together, entwining his fingers and smiling like he held another secret. Eric always seemed to smile as if he knew something the entire world was ignorant about. Even as I sat here spiting him, I couldn't help but admire his handsome features. They don't make vampires like that anymore, that's for sure. I sighed as he kept smiling. "_Mine_, Nero, in the sense that no other vampire can lend a hand on you. If they do, they have me to answer to."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "If I don't want to be yours? I've never heard of a Reaper bowing to a vampire."

He rolled his eyes. "Honestly Nero, forget your damn pride of being a stupid Reaper. If you are caught Reaping the soul of a human owned by a vampire, the Magister will punish it for you."

"The Magister can't kill me. There are only a few things that can truly kill a Reaper Eric."

"As I am well aware," he replied dryly. "But he will _torture_ you instead, to teach a lesson to you and all the other Reapers."

I wanted to protest, saying Grim would help me out. But then when I thought about it, why would he? He thought that every person was solely responsible for themselves, from what Alliyah had told me about him. Destiny is dealt depending on what the person does. If I intentionally walk into a cage containing an angry, blood-thirsty lion, before taunting it, mocking it and poking it in the eye with a stick, I am more than likely going to regret such a decision. If I stay away from the cage and merely watch the lion from a distance whilst playing with the stick instead, I should stay safe. At least, that's the way Grim sees it. Think of the lion as the vampires. Enter their territory, pray the price.

And I did not want angry vampires plunging their fangs into my neck. Reapers would want retaliation against vampires if they began attacking us for doing our job. It would start an all out war. The humans would notice. Our identities would be revealed. The entire balance between life and death would vanish, all because I couldn't hold my tongue and be 'his'. Ugh. This sucks. I don't want to start a war, but I don't want to belong to a _vampire._ I'm a Reaper, for crying out loud! I've never heard of such a thing happening before.

"Nero?" Eric prompted. I stared at him for a few more seconds. This was a real contract. And he was obviously enjoying it.

"Yours?" I repeated to myself, because saying it out-loud made it seem less crazy.

"Mine," he grinned.

"Alright. We have a deal."

"Wonderful. Now, as part of that deal, why don't you tell me who is on your List that is causing such problems?"

"Maudette Pickens."

Eric didn't care very much, it seemed, for he simply leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Alright Nero. It has been very" – he dragged his eyes up and down my body _again_, just like he had when I first came here – "pleasurable, seeing you again. I assume you'll be visiting very soon again."

I chewed my lip, thinking it over. "Well, _assuming_ Maudette dies within the next two days, I'll visit you after that. Good for you?"

"It's a date."

Fucking _vampires._

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><p>"Would you like cheese on the hamburger, or maybe I could get you some extra fries, if you're <em>really <em>hungry? Our chef Lafayette makes such good burgers he-…"

"Just get me whatever you like, sweetie, I really don't mind."

The blonde woman currently harassing me bobbed her head up and down, but instead of rushing off to hastily tell this Lafayette person what I wanted to eat, she stood staring at me, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. I swear, she had the most demented smile on her face I really thought she was just gonna yank the cutlery in my hands and stab me frantically with the knife. My eyes drifted to the bar, where this 'Sam' man she spoke of – she had pointed him out to me while talking my order – was watching this waitress with a nervous expression. He smelled of something funny, something I hadn't smelled in a while. Shifter, perhaps? He wasn't a werewolf, that's for sure. Smelled like an animal though.

The blonde lady was staring at me. I waited for her to say something. I know I'm attractive, but this is downright ridiculous.

"Can I help you?" I asked, maybe a little harshly.

She blinked, as if forgetting I was even here. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll go fetch your order right away."

Off she scuttled, her insane smile still on her face. She said something to the man I suspected to be a Shifter, and though he smiled at her, it was a timid, nervous kinda smile. Then he looked right at me. I gave him a wink before re-reading the menu. Christ, that waitress was bonkers. The moment I sat in a booth, she came buzzing over like a bee, staring at me, barking out things I could order before I had even picked up my menu. I don't even eat human food much. I just need an excuse to sit around here.

"You sure you don't want anything else?"

"Maybe a nice batch of cyanide if you keep bothering me," I whispered under my breath. My blonde stalker was back, apparently. Maudette was due to die tomorrow, and she was sitting right across from me chatting to a very, _very _attractiveblond haired man. Would he be her killer? I never knew for sure how my souls died, I just turned up at the scene of the crime and did what I had to do. For all I knew, that blond man _was _her killer. The blonde waitress followed my gaze.

Cheerily, she smiled brightly and said, "That there is my brother Jason! You know him?"

"No" I said through gritted teeth. "Can't say that I do."

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

"Good for you."

"Aren't you gonna tell me your name?"

"Not really," I sighed. "Look, Miss Stackhouse-…"

"Oh, you can call me Sookie, I don't mind."

Narrowing my eyes at her, I bit my tongue and said, "Well, _Sookie_, I don't know you. I only came here for a damn burger."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Maudette stand and walk out of the bar with that blond man hot on her heels. If she knew who I was, seeing my face wandering around and following her would make her wet her pants – what little there were of them, seeing as she likes to dress sort of like what most would call a 'skank'. Just to get male attention. I looked back at Sookie, who was still staring at me like I was walking on water or something. A-huh. I always find the crazy ones, don't I?

I slid out of my seat. "Forget the burger."

"Oh, no I didn't mean to make you wanna leave, I just…I think you're interestin' is all," she smiled manically. I guess she does that when she's nervous. It is highly _unnerving _if you ask me.

"Yeah, well, I think you're real interesting too, but I've gotta go. Maybe I'll see you soon," I said. _Like when I come to take your soul. You freakishly scary, staring soul. _I wanted her to stop staring at me like that, like she was staring right inside my head. It freaked me out. She didn't seem to be anything other than human. She smelled sweeter than most of the humans here though. Maybe because she isn't drunk like the rest of them.

"Bye," she said.

I saw the deflated look in her eyes when I made to leave, and it made me stop in my steps. Alliyah wanted me to get on with the humans for once. "I'm Nero, by the way."

"Nero?" she repeated. "That's a funny name. I've never met someone called that before."

Funnily enough, neither have I. "I could say the same for you, Sookie. I'll see ya around."

And I left that bar before crazy-waitress Sookie could stare at me for any longer.

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><p>Thankfully for me, there were no demented waitresses lying in wait within the Pickens home on the night Maudette died. Her soul was just waiting for me, and I gladly did my job. It felt refreshing. And while I was there, well, I breezed around her home, looking at her pictures and enjoying knowing that Alliyah would lay off me for a while. I had done what I had to do. I pulled my List out of my pocket, and checking that there were no more names, quickly put it back.<p>

"Poor Maud," I muttered, frowning at her body on the floor. Oh well.

I looked at the pictures on her wall again, before doing a double-take. My, my. Looks like Maud has visited _Fangtasia_, because she's wearing a shirt with the name on the front, and Eric has one arm around her in the picture. Oh this is _hilarious_. Eric takes pictures with his customers? I bet they have to pay! Oh, I cannot wait to rub that in his face. The thousand year old vampire, posing for pictures with the fanatics who thought vampires haunted graveyards, preying on the innocent when in fact a vampire will prey on anything with a damn pulse.

When the deed of taking a soul is done, it leaves a Reaper feeling content, but somehow empty. As if we're missing something. Alliyah once said that we feel empty because we know we don't have souls of our own. I scoffed at her, but sometimes I wonder if she was right. I spotted a mirror hanging on the wall of Maudette's living room, and I made my way over, patting at my hair. Well, I don't look half bad today.

Alliyah's voice echoed in my ears, '_You're far too vain for your own good, Nero_.'

I scowled. _Get out of my head, Alliyah._ Jeez, now I'm beginning to hear _voices_. I have pink hair, which I admired very much. Although red is my favourite colour, pink isn't too bad on me, especially when it's my hair. It was wavy, luscious, full of volume. I had nice, full red lips and chocolate brown eyes to match, with honey-coloured skin. I'm petite, a little curvy too. Even Eric's progeny, Pam, had been watching me with interest when I first went to Fangtasia, but I didn't pay her much attention. I'm more into men, if I'm honest. And they are very into me, I might add. A fearless, hopelessly beautiful Reaper. What's not to like?

Alright, alright, maybe I am a _little_ bit vain. Just a little.

I don't mean to be. I've always been what people call 'arrogant', whereas I like to call it '_confident_'. See, there's a difference in there somewhere, I'm sure of it. There are enough people in this world to put you down, so I chose not to let them. Trust me, a few have tried. Alliyah, so used to people praising her for her wonderful skills as Grim's Secretary, seemed to forget what it felt like to be told you were useless at the one thing you exist to do. I was told once that I was a horrible Reaper because I lost a soul. It stuck with me ever since, and whenever I thought about it, my heart did this weird thing where it seemed to clench up in my chest and hurt. So I refuse to let anyone tell me I'm not a good Reaper, because I try hard at my job. Grim should really give me a raise.

Deed done. I'll go and see Eric. I'll put up with his offending comments about 'my kind' and how utterly evil we all are, coming from the man with vicious fangs that could rip a man's throat out if he liked. Yes, I definitely need a raise.


	3. Devil Dares

**A/N: **_Thank you for the reviews and everything, they've really made my day! :)_

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><p>- Chapter Two –<p>

_**Devil Dares**_

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><p><em><em>"_Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatsoever to do with it."_

**- W. Somerset Maugham**

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><p>"Watch your damn step, you little punk! You just missed Sprinkles' paw by half an inch!"<p>

I found myself being battered by an old handbag, slamming into the wall in the hallway leading to our apartment. Who was attacking me? Well, it wasn't Eric or his vampires, it wasn't another Reaper and it wasn't any other mythical creature you could think of. That narrows it down to Maggie Williams, the woman that tortures my very existence. She was the one currently hitting me with her tattered handbag, screaming at me because I almost stepped on her damn cat. Too bad I didn't snap its neck. I hate cats. All Reapers hate cats. Perhaps it's because cats are associated with witches, and if there is one thing a Reaper hates more than cats, it's a witch. I shuddered just thinking about them, before swiftly grabbing Maggie's handbag and stopping her in her tracks.

"You realize I could call the police and have you arrested for assault?" I hissed hatefully at her.

"Police? _Police_?" she snorted. "You almost murdered my cat in cold blood!"

"I only wish I had," I replied curtly. "That thing is disgusting."

Sprinkles, a black cat with one blue eye and one green eye, stared up at me with something similar to a smirk on his face. He had done this on purpose. He _wanted_ Maggie to come out here and fight with me again. Ugh, cats. Maggie, with hair-rollers still stuck in her fraying wispy blonde hair, gave me the darkest glare she could muster. "Don't you _dare _speak about like Sprinkles that, _Nero_" she growled, saying my name in a sneer as if it were a dirty bug she detested. Old, bitter, grumpy women like Maggie make me wonder why Grim lets them live so long.

She was blocking the stairs leading to our apartment hallway, and I felt my anger bubbling. I needed to get up there, grab my things and get going to Fangtasia. "Move it, Grandma," I muttered.

"Grandma?" she spluttered. "Well, I might be old, but at least _my _generation had more respect than you kids these days!"

_My_ generation? Pssht, my generation died out ages ago and they were a couple of hundreds of years older than _hers. _Of course, I can't say this. Maggie eyed my pink hair with disgust on her face, and I realized I had outstayed my welcome. She was going to begin a lecture.

"Really, Nero, when you first moved in I thought I could get past your outward appearance-…"

"Hey! What's wrong with how I look?"

"Hm, let's see," she snarled. "Pink hair, red lipstick, a _leather jacket_."

"Whoa, someone call the cops, there's a leather-wearing girl in your hallway! We might need to call in the CIA and the President himself to deal with this one Mags, it's a threat to our national security!"

"Do not take that tone with me Nero! Less of your attitude! Why, you and that lovely girl Alliyah are lucky I let you live here! If it weren't for Alliyah you'd be out on the streets!"

"So the fact that I have pink hair makes you want to throw my ass out on the street?"

"Watch your language young lady."

I sighed. This was going nowhere. This woman was insane, a hag, a crazy old bat. Then, as if appearing in a ray of sunlight appearing from the Heavens, I heard a voice say, "Oh, hello Miss Williams!"

Alliyah, appearing with a bright smile on her face behind me. She looked a little flustered, probably from all her Secretary work. I'm glad I'm not her. Phew. Sanity restored. I gave her a grateful grin.

"Nero bothering you again, is she?" Alliyah asked.

Instantly, the grin was wiped off my face, replaced with a scowl. "_Bothering her?_" I scoffed. "_She's _harassing _me_, not the other way round! That stupid cat is out to get me!"

"Mad, she is Alliyah," Maggie frowned, nodding at me. "She thinks my poor Sprinkles actually wants to harm her!"

My blood began to boil again as Alliyah laughed and pushed me toward the stairs, which Maggie dutifully moved away from once she knew Alliyah had arrived. "Nero is just a little eccentric Maggie, that's all. I'm real sorry if she bothered you, it won't happen again."

"As long as the old hag stays out of my way and-…" I squeaked in pain when Alliyah stomped on my foot to shut me up. I glared at her, furious. Maggie nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and looking irritatingly smug.

"Good. It better not, or I'll have to report Nero to your landlord," she sniffed.

"It won't come to that, Miss Williams, I promise."

She bid Maggie goodbye, shoving me upstairs as Maggie mumbled away to herself like the demented bat that she is, shuffling away in her slippers. Once Alliyah and I were in our own apartment, away from prying old weirdos like Maggie and her damn cat, I turned on her, clenching my fists. How dare she take that bitch's side! Ever since we moved it, Maggie has made it her life's work to make me lose my temper. I opened my mouth, but Alliyah raised a hand to silence me.

"Don't even blame Miss Williams for this, Nero."

My mouth hung open in shock. "Are you insane, Alliyah? You know ever since we got here she's been out to get me."

"I am not in the mood for your paranoia tonight."

For a couple of seconds, I really did consider a tantrum. Stomping my feet on the ground, throwing my hands in the air, the whole works, shrieking at Alliyah for not taking my side. How ridiculous for a thousand year old Reaper to do so. Instead, I pouted. I'm a good pouter. Alliyah took one look at me and I could see her melting just a little bit. Intense pouting would be required for this.

"Alright, Nero. You know I don't like cats either. They remind us of witches."

Again, I shuddered. I went to my bedroom as Alliyah flopped down on the couch, rubbing her eyes tiredly. I found an old black leather jacket in my bedroom, deciding to dress like they did at Fangtasia. I even found a little black dress to wear, some nice shoes with spikes on the side. Not too bad. I left my hair wavy like it always was, planning on banging on Maggie's door and asking what her problem was with pink hair.

"I'll see you in a few hours."

"Be careful Nero."

"Yeah, yeah, no worries. I'm always careful, aren't I?"

Alliyah snorted. "Of course you are. Going to see Eric, I assume?"

"I do have other friends you know."

"Name one."

"Shut up."

She laughed softly. "Bye Nero."

I had to admit that Alliyah was the most important person in my life right now. I did like her, which was saying a lot. The last Reaper I lived with was the fat-ass Henry, and I really despised him. Having someone you actually liked around…it was a nice feeling. "See ya Alli…"

* * *

><p>"Ah, look what Death dragged in."<p>

"Pamela. Nice to see you, as always."

She smirked, one hand on her hip. It was freezing outside, but that did not deter the humans and vampires waiting patiently in the line in front of the door. The fact that I had skipped it sent them into an uproar, but Pam silenced them with one hand. The vampires seemed to understand quite quickly that I had good reason, but humans are slow to catch onto such things. They still grumbled and muttered beneath their breath.

"You're late."

"Am I?" I asked breezily, smiling at her. "That's odd. We never set a time to meet. How can I be late, then?"

She didn't answer, just moved away to let me in. The moment I went inside, the smell of alcohol, lust and blood washed over me. And there, right across the room with a very bored look on his face, leaning his head on his hand. Was he sitting on a _throne_? Oh, this was too hilarious. Did he think himself a King? Making my way across the dance-floor was no easy task. I pushed my way past, though I could never lose Eric's face in a crowd, 'cause he still towered over people even when sitting his seat.

"Hi Eric," I said, giving him a cheerful smile.

He looked up, seemingly in a darker mood than normal. "Nero."

I waited a few second, to see if he had anything else to add. Nope. Just silence. "What? No, 'Hello Nero, nice of you to travel all this way to see me' or 'would you like a drink Nero, because being a Reaper must be _so tiring_ and you have to deal with a crazy hag living in the apartment below you and her psychotic cat Sprinkles'? Hm?"

He blinked at me. "Sprinkles?"

"Don't ask. See, there's this woman and she-…" I cut off without meaning too, feeling an emotion that's hard to described. A _longing_, a sort of emotion that eats away with you. That sounds strange, but it's the only thing I can say that makes it easier for you to understand. It means, in basic terms, that someone has been added to my List. I pulled it out, seeing the name _Dawn Green _currently flashing red, meaning she is dying right now. Aw, snap.

If I don't get there soon, her soul might become lost. It takes ages to find a damn lost soul, and the soul can go _anywhere_. I mean, they don't have to worry about taking planes or booking hotels, they can just go where they wish to be. Eric was watching the List with a lot of interest.

"Dawn Green," he read, his eyebrows furrowing as if he knew the name. He can't keep secrets from me forever.

"You know her."

"And how would you know if I did or not?"

"Just look at your face, Eric. It's quite plain to see."

"Alright, Nero. I knew Dawn. In fact, I had sex with her."

"Did you know Maudette?"

"Rejected sex from her. So yes, I suppose you could say I did."

I smirked at him. "Oh Eric, your sexual exploitations fascinate me, they really do, but I need to go now."

"Already?" he asked, sitting up in his chair. "Why so soon?"

"Then I will take you."

I already had a witty response in my head, just about to say it when we were suddenly standing outside his car. I blinked, peering around, realizing he had just used vampire-speed to get us out here in seconds. Impressive. Vampires were not as fast as us Reapers, but they were stronger. Apparently that wasn't always the case, because I hadn't even noticed Eric grabbing me.

"This is a bad idea."

"The Nero I know wouldn't think twice about it," Eric smirked, unlocking is car. "Has living in Shreveport tamed you? Afraid Alliyah will put you on time-out?"

His playful mood was certainly back. I grinned. "Fuck you Eric, I'm not afraid of Alliyah."

"Sounds like it to me."

"Shut up."

"I _dare _you."

Oh, he had me there. I love dares. What harm could it do anyway? He could wait in the car. Grab the soul, go get a drink, forget it ever happened. Easy.


	4. Illuminated

**A/N: **_Sorry for the slight delay I've been…doing nothing at all, actually, I'm just extremely lazy. My bad! :) Oh, and warning, curses are in this chapter :D But if you watch TB you shouldn't be too surprised. :)_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Three –<p>

_**Illuminated**_

* * *

><p><em><em>I can sincerely promise you that every person on this planet has an irrational fear. It might be that an old pair of socks might suddenly grow a mind of its own and decide it wants to dominate the world as we know it, forcing us all to be its slaves. Another fear might be that as you walk down the sidewalk on a normal, sunny day with a smile on your face, a pack of wild llamas might come barreling around the corner and attack you. Both fears are, of course, completely irrational, but you can't help yourself. My fear happens to be…cats. Hence why I have such an intense dislike of Maggie, who owns the feline-Devil they call Sprinkles. Cats, especially the mysterious black cats, used to be a warning sign that witches were nearby.

Back in the good old days, when Reapers could join in with the witch-burning trials humans had. I miss the days when humans used to use fire to solve all their problems. Sigh. Now everything has to be so politically correct and burning someone at a stake because they are a witch is seen as murder. Whatever, if it's a witch it doesn't count to me. Or any other Reaper, for that matter. Though it is very hard to admit it, the things we fear most is a cat and a witch.

Why was I thinking about cats when standing in front of Dawn Green's home, you wonder? Well, it's always smart to have your enemy close in mind, but really it was because a fat, ginger-tabby cat was sitting on the porch of the house beside us, his eyes glowing in the dark. It stopped me cold in my tracks, making Eric bump into me. I heard him let out an unnecessary sigh. "What is it, Nero?"

"Nothing," I said, clearing my throat. I marched across the lawn to Dawn's house, and pulled out a pocket-knife.

"Is this your Scythe?" he snorted from behind me. I rolled my eyes.

"Haw-haw, Eric, you're so funny I forgot to laugh. This little baby right here, will open any door, anywhere at any time I want it to. As long as the soul I need is in there, that is."

"So you can't just break into someone's home using the knife if they haven't died yet?"

"You catch on fast for a vampire."

Of course, Eric couldn't enter. He stood at the doorway like a phantom, his eyes glowing in the pale light. I felt the familiar feeling of longing, excitement, knowing that there was a soul around here somewhere. It's also a strange feeling, being in a house that is not yours, in a house where the owner has not invited you and certainly does not want you there. Looking at the pictures lining her wall, I felt as if I was intruding, which is exactly what I was doing. Knowing she had a life, an existence before her death, filled with family and friends and memories I know nothing about.

"Nero, are you going to dither about all night? Only, I'd rather not stand out here 'til dawn."

"Ah, my plans to make you meet the Sun have been foiled. Darn," I murmured, knowing full well he could hear me even from my place at the back of the living room. Ha, _living _room. No one is living here anymore.

I found her in her bedroom, lying flat on the bed, half-naked. I bet if you asked a person how they would like to be found after their death, it would not be like this. But, unfortunately for humans, it is surprisingly common. Dawn had been dead at least a day, at most. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. I hardly expected her to leap from the bed screaming, "Surprise! Fooled you, Nero!"

Rigor mortis prevented that, obviously. But I've seen weirder things.

Her soul was waiting. Souls do look a lot like ghosts, just sitting. They usually stay with the body until I come along. But if I'm late, the soul becomes stronger. It _learns_ to talk, it remembers who it was, and then it will go to the place that means most to them. And that could be anywhere in the world, which is why it is so important for me to find them as soon as possible. Thankfully Dawn's soul was sitting at the end of her bed, staring at the wall. Dawn's soul looked at me with mournful eyes.

"I'm dead, ain't I?" she whispered. It's freaky, when souls talk. Their voices almost echo.

I nodded. "You don't have to worry though. It ain't all bad. Dying can be a blast."

"Oh yeah," she snorted. "I'm loving it already."

"You've haven't gotten to the Underworld yet. All the fun is down there."

Which is true. Her soul vanished, off to the Underworld for an eternity. I sighed, staring around the room for a moment. Sort of wished I had struck up a longer conversation with her soul. Now I have to go back to Eric. When I walked onto the porch, however, he was nowhere to be seen. I shut Dawn's door, checked it over just to be sure, even though the police would never find anything to do with me here. Part of the wonders of Grim and his own powers. When I turned around to begin searching for Eric again, I found myself staring into yellow, unblinking eyes.

I almost screamed, leaping backwards and bashing into Dawn's front door. Somewhere in the darkness, a dog began barking. In front of me was Eric, holding that fat tabby-cat we had seen earlier. I put a hand over my heart, carefully edging away from the cat, which he held out with a smirk on his face.

"So it is true then."

"What the _fuck _are you playing at Eric, you idiotic un-dead bastard?" I hissed. The cat meowed, and I eyed it warily, as if it would launch itself at me and rip my eyes out with its claws.

"Reapers are terrified of cats," he said, with complete amusement in his tone. "The moment we got here, you froze up at the sight of a _cat_. Tell me, Nero, does Death himself fear _this_?" He shook the cat for emphasis, and it meowed again, almost _grinning _at me. I bared my teeth at it. Eric chuckled, which only filled me with uncontrollable rage. "Godric told me all about the myths and rumours surrounding rumours, and even he had trouble believing this one."

"Oh well isn't Godric the freaking genius? Listen, can you please put that…that thing over there?"

"You know, Godric also mentioned that Reapers are afraid of cats because in the 'old days' cats meant one thing and one thing only; _witches_."

I gave him a very dark glare. "Put the cat down. We are leaving."

I moved past him, silently begging him to do as I asked. The cat was giving me a horrible shivery feeling, its eyes constantly watching me. Godric is two thousand years old. I should have guessed he would have heard about the deal between Reapers and stupid cats. He probably knew about witches too. I only hope he hadn't told Eric why Reapers fear witches, but Eric is smart. I had to give him that much, he was no fool.

To my relief, he had put the cat on the grass in front of Dawn's home, and it ran off. I made sure to cross my arms over my chest and look out the window as he got into the car, letting him know I was mad at him. If I stay mad, it might keep his questions away.

"What is it about witches?"

Or not.

"It has nothing to do with witches. I happen to be allergic to cats."

"You're dead now Nero, you have no allergies."

"Fine, an intense dislike. I stood on a cat once," I said, which was true.

He stayed silent as we drove, deep in thought. I felt my skin prickling. Perhaps bringing Eric hadn't been such a good idea. How the Hell was I supposed to know a cat would appear? Oh well. If I ever saw Sprinkles again, I'd strangle him. And Maggie, too. Eric was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, humming to himself, but it wasn't a very happy tune. We stayed like that all the way to Fangtasia, where I quickly got out of the car, giving him a smile.

"Bye Eric!"

I spun on my heels, marching towards my own car. I got three steps before he said, "Hold it, Nero. I'm not done with you yet."

I groaned. "_Why?_ We're finished. Dawn is in" – I didn't have a watch, so I just made a wild guess – "two hours! What do you want me to do, tuck you into your coffin and read you a bedtime story?"

He took a menacing step forward, but it was more to try and intimidate me into listening him than anything. "You will come back here in two nights. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Master," I grinned, with a sweeping bow. "I bid you farewell."

* * *

><p>The following night, I found myself walking into Merlotte's in a cheerful mood. Alliyah was away, which sucked, because it meant I was alone. I just hate to be alone. I mean, who wants to be alone? It's that horrible feeling of being abandoned that always gets me. Alliyah says I should embrace the chance to be independent, but I think she's just bonkers. Speaking of mentally-disturbed people, my favourite waitress was making a bee-line for me. I decided that I wanted some company tonight, and if that meant hanging with a half-crazed blonde woman, so be it.<p>

"Hello Sookie," I smiled.

"Nero," she said, that insane smile plastered on her tanned face again. I realized it was a nervous tick of hers, to smile when she felt nervous. "How are you tonight?"

"Just ecstatic," I said lazily. She waited for me to ask how she was, but I wasn't extremely interested to begin with, so she just took my arm and led me toward a booth. "I hear there's been an unfortunate death in Bon Temps recently."

"Dawn Green, that's right," she said tersely. "She was a waitress here."

"Is that so? Sorry for your loss."

She sat in the seat across from me, surprising me. She seemed agitated. Does she want me to cry or something? I waited patiently for her to say something, listening to the buzz of voices around us. Death always brings a certain excitement to small towns like this. It creates legends, myths, all sorts of crazy things. The lady in the chair across from us was whispering, leaning real close to the man across from her. She said, "I heard it had to do with the vampires! That Dawn liked it rough, or so I hear…"

I almost laughed. Isn't that strange, how in such a small town everyone knows everything about everyone else? I liked Bon Temps already.

"Nero?"

I blinked. "Oh, my apologies Sookie, I was daydreaming. What were you saying?"

"I asked how long you were going to be in town?"

"I stay in Shreveport with a…friend," I said pleasantly. "I can stay as long as I like. Why do you ask?"

I noticed the look on her face, like she was calculating something in her brain. I could practically see the gears grinding in her mind. Strange mysterious person shows up in a small town, two people die. I might as well have blood all over me. Sookie had her face screwed up, thinking deeply. "Aren't you supposed to take my order?" I muttered, feeling irritated.

"I'm on my break."

"Then let me go find another damn waitress," I replied, standing. She put her hand over mine, and she felt distinctly warm. I looked at her as if I expected her to attack me or something. Bad idea, coming to Merlotte's. She's like a hound-dog, she is never going to let me go.

"I can't hear you."

I blinked, before bending down to her, carefully as if she might secretly have fangs and try to snap at me. "I _said_, let me go find-…"

"No, no, no," she said impatiently. "I meant…I'm a telepath, and you're definitely not human. I want to know what you are. "

A telepath? My eyes lit up and I fell back into my seat with great excitement. "Whoa, it's been almost three hundred years since I last met a telepath! Though she was a gypsy woman from a foreign country, and she didn't have an awful lot of English to be honest, so our conversation was severely limited."

"You've met telepaths before?"

"Being a thousand years old mean it's hard not to run into other Supernatural creatures, Sookie my sweet," I grinned. "You, of course, speak perfect English, so you can tell me what I had been trying to ask the gypsy woman; what do you hear when you '_listen_' to me?"

"Absolutely nothing. It's bliss."

I scowled. I had been hoping we could communicate through our minds or something, so that sucked. "Oh. How boring."

"What _are _you? You aren't a vampire, are you?"

"Nope, no fangs here," I said, poking my gums. I lowered my voice, making sure no one was listening in. Everyone was far too busy talking about Dawn's death to care. "I'm a Reaper."

She spluttered for a second, before leaning forward with wide eyes. "A what?"

"Reap-er," I said slowly, as if she were stupid. "Collecting souls, passing them onto the after-life and all that."

"No way. _No way!_" she said excitedly.

"Don't tell me you've never met one before," I said in a sarcastic tone, highly amused. Of course she hadn't.

"Is it scary?"

"What, exactly? The Reaping part?"

"Seeing dead people, I guess."

I shrugged. "Well, I'm lucky I'm in the adult department."

"What do you mean?"

"There are departments to deal with all sorts of creatures. Everything dies. Everything living that has a soul has to die, and so everyone needs a Reaper. Some Reapers deal specifically with children, which would kill me 'cause I actually like kids, I don't want to have to wait around to watch them die. That would crush me. But I deal with adults."

"Did you…Did you take care of Dawn?"

Human compassion always takes me by surprise. "Well yes, of course. It's my job."

She seemed comforted by that small fact. "Do you know who did it?"

"Nah. See, they have to die" – I tried to ignore how she flinched – "before I can just waltz in and clean up the mess. I'm assuming Dawn's death was not an accident?"

"No, I want to find out who did it. Which is why I need your help Nero."

"Whoa, Detective Sookie, slow down there. I didn't see a killer, trust me."

"You must know _something_, Nero. Anything?"

I shook my head, and she looked visibly disappointed. Poor Detective/Waitress/Escaped Mental-Patient/Telepathic Sookie. But I was pretty damn hungry for a burger, so my sympathy was limited.

"You seem quite cold towards everything Nero," she said after a few moments of watching me quizzically stare at the menu. Burgers Lafayette could be nice. _Curly fries _sounded slightly appetising. I chuckled at Sookie, rolling my eyes.

"Of course I am Sookie. Do you think I could do this if I cried and got depressed at every death? Besides, why should you fear death? It's gonna happen. You know the moment you're born that someday you have to die. Even the vampires know their time is limited, no matter how much they cling to the idea of immortality. One little wooden stake can take all of that away. When you wake up in the morning, be thankful you're still alive. Most people aren't so lucky. I can vouch for that."

"Seems too morbid to me."

I flashed a smile at her. "I'm just a morbid person. Besides, I'm not _cold_ as you put it. I'm merely uninterested. The less I know about the person about to die, the better. I do not want to get attached. That happened to me once. Bad experience. I never want it to happen again. I don't like the feeling of being attached to someone, only to lose them. And trust me, you will lose them eventually."

She stared at me. "You have abandonment issues, then," she shrugged.

I laughed again. "I like you Sookie. You're funny."

"I was being serious."

"Which is what makes you so funny."

When she didn't reply, I glanced up at her, noticing her focus was not on me anymore. I frowned, wanting to know who had taken my limelight. I craned my neck around to look at the entrance to Merlotte's, where a vampire stood glancing around. When his gaze landed on the lovely Sookie, he made his way over here, but not before spotting me. He stopped in his tracks for a moment, sniffing the air suspiciously.

"Bill! Hey!" Sookie grinned. The entire restaurant had turned to watch him. I guess they don't get vampires around here. Bill resumed his walking once he had heard Sookie call for him. She stood up, giving him a kiss on the cheek before they both faced me. "Bill, this here is Nero, a new friend of mine."

Ah, a new vampire friend to get acquainted with. Eric will be thrilled.


	5. Plato's Plight

**A/N: **_I really worry that this is a bit too complicated sometimes, what with vampires, Devils and Reapers all in one…but if anyone is confused, let me know… :) I'll just have to explain it better! x_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Four –<p>

_**Plato's Plight **_

* * *

><p><em><em>"_Hell is empty, and all the Devils are here." – _**William Shakespeare, the Tempest. **

* * *

><p>Sometimes, when I am feeling very bored, I like to watch humans go about their daily lives. Especially when I know they are going to die soon. Does that sound morbid? Well, if it does, it can't be helped. I sat in Merlotte's with Bill Compton, who was currently talking without a clue that I was barely listening. I was far too fascinated with the colourful customers of this bar. One man was spewing a wild story to his fellow friends about a 'hot chick' he met at a bar last night, while a woman across the bar was angrily giving out to her son for spilling ketchup down his shirt. Such small, trivial things never cease to fascinate me. Honestly, if I forced myself to listen to Bill and his boring tales I might have to pick up the knife Sookie left me for my fries and hamburger and end it all right now.<p>

"I served in the Civil War….blah, blah, blah…My wife and my children…I moved back here, blah… very recently…blah met Sookie…"

That knife was looking quite appealing.

"Really, Bill, this is utterly fascinating, but I am afraid I must dash. I have business to attend to. Souls to Reap, vampires to meet."

"Vampires?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Not that I didn't like Bill, he was nice and all, but I did not give a monkey's bananas about his life story. He was only telling me because he knew I was a Reaper and this interested him into making conversation. Both being the oldest things in this bar made him think we had some common ground. I'm afraid he was mistaken. Call me rude, sue me, whatever. "Are you familiar with others of my kind?"

Even when he _talks_, my mind drifts away in boredom. I blinked after two or three seconds of plain staring at him. "Oh. Oh, yeah, yeah I am. Eric Northman. You know him?"

Bill turned a little frosty on me, and my eyes widened in delight. Aha, so Mr Compton had things hidden after all. I stayed in my seat, forgetting about my leather jacket and uncrossing my arms in order to lean closer to him. "What's the matter, Billy? You don't like Eric?"

"Please, refrain from calling me _Billy_."

"Woops, my bad," I said, though I had no real intention of doing so. "I think we should talk about Eric."

"Why? He is only my Sheriff."

"Only?" Christ, one interesting thing comes out of his mouth and he doesn't even want to elaborate. Sookie really must like this man. "I'm sure Eric is much more than that. Go on, tell me, I bet you send each Christmas cards every year, meet up for Vampire Reunions every few centuries, go to baseball games together..." From the repulsed, disgusted look on his face, I was veering the wrong way. Eric was not entirely popular, it seemed. "Right. I understand. You don't like him."

Bill leaned back in his seat, swirling his TruBlood in his hand. "I never said that."

"But you're thinking it," I replied. "I've been around even longer than you, mate, and I know it when I see it. Tell me then. Has Eric betrayed you in some way? Does the fact that he is higher on the vampire hierarchy annoy you? Is it the fact that he is a control freak?"

Bill merely looked at me as if it was _he_ who was bored. "You have quite the imagination, Nero."

"So I've been told," I sighed, realizing this was getting me nowhere.

"I don't hate Eric. Sorry to disappoint you." He was lying, but I said nothing. "I merely respect him as my Sheriff."

I think I'm losing the will to live, talking to him. No fun, no 'Eric is my ultimate nemesis, I live purely to destroy him!' and what not. No appearing with a cloak and an evil mastermind plot to overthrow Eric and become the new Sheriff of Area 5. Oh well. Maybe I'll uncover his heinous plans next time. "Right. Great. I best get going then. See ya, Bill."

"Goodbye Nero. It has been a pleasure meeting a Reaper," he said, even going as far as to bow a little. I smiled at him.

"I am the first Reaper you've met?"

"Oh, yes. I've heard of your kind, of course."

"Good things, I hope."

I gave him another smile before throwing on my jacket, grabbing my bag and making a dash, giving Sookie a small wave on my way out. I was late to meet Eric. Whatever, he'd have to deal with it. Driving to Fangtasia, I wondered if I was being a tad bit harsh on Bill. I couldn't help myself. The moment I decided someone began babbling about something I didn't have much interest in – Bill telling me about the life of vampires, things I already knew – I tuned out. There was a line waiting at the door of Fangtasia, and when I parked up I went right past them ignoring their looks and mutters of annoyance.

"Ah, look what Death dragged in," Pam smirked when she spotted me.

"Pamela! Nice to see you," I said. "That leather dress looks nice. A Dominatrix would be real proud of you, you know. You certainly know how to dress. We should going shopping sometime."

She sneered, but I could tell she was amused. "Trying to get me on a date, Nero?"

"Oh dear, it appears you have foiled my plans. Looks like I'll have to try again next time. For now, I'll have to move onto your dear Maker."

"He's inside. I warn you, he is not in a very good mood tonight. He doesn't like to be kept waiting, Nero."

"You'll be surprised how little I care, Pamela."

"_Pam_. Call me Pam, sweetie."

Just like with Bill, I had no intention to do so, but I nodded with a smile anyway. "Sure thing."

The music in Fangtasia – heavy metal, a guy singing about the pain of love and how he wishes he could die – made my entire body vibrate, my head pound, my ears ache. The dance-floor was packed with sweating, gyrating humans, being watched like vultures by vampires. Some of those vamps were here willingly, though Eric probably hired a few just for the humans. What kind of vampire bar would it be if it had no vampires? And there, sitting on a throne, was Eric, looking quite pissed off.

The moment he met my eyes as I made my way over to him, I knew I was in trouble. I smiled meekly, hoping he wouldn't attack me with his fangs or something. "Hey Eric!"

"Nero." Uh-oh, that's not a good sign. Angry voice, furrowed brows, slightly tense posture. I am in for one Hell of a night. I swayed back and forth on the balls of my feet.

"So. You gonna ask me to dance or anything?"

"I do not like it when people are late, Nero."

Right, he wasn't a dancing kind of guy. I respect that. "Yeah, I hate that. So disrespectful. Except when they have a good reason."

"What reason could you possibly have? Did Death himself knock at your door?"

"Oh, don't be silly, Grim never bothers to knock."

"Nero!" he growled.

"Alright, alright, calm down," I huffed. "I got a little side-tracked. I went to Merlotte's. I met Sookie Stackhouse, and her vampire, Bill Compton."

Eric shifted in his seat. Aha, great, I have his full attention. "Bill Compton?" he repeated.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You heard me."

He stayed silent, and in that time I took the seat beside him while he was distracted. Eric was in too much thought to notice. "What a swell way to spend then night," I muttered to myself. We sat like that, almost ignoring each other. One or two humans asked Eric for autographs, and he sent them away so quickly they were nearly in floods of tears from the fear. He was so damn grumpy all the time. Why couldn't he lighten up? Have some fun every once in a while! It wouldn't _kill _him.

"Nero."

I blinked in confusion at the sound of a voice I recognized, but could not place. When I looked up, I got quite a shock to find myself staring into the eyes of Plato. No, no, before you go thinking Plato the actual philosopher had come to visit me from beyond the grave, it wasn't that guy. No, Plato was another Reaper living in our area, though I hadn't crossed paths with him in quite a while. He was very, _very_ (did I say very?) handsome, with a charming smile and dazzlingly blue eyes. He was almost six foot, broad, with a deep voice and black unruly hair. His skin was even paler than mine, if you can believe it. He had stubble too, something that was new.

Eric watched him warily, as if he already knew not to trust Plato. I liked Plato, he was an okay guy. Grim had named him Plato for a good reason; he never stopped asking questions about life. _Why_ are we here_, why _did Grim choose us to be the immortal soul-takers, _why_ oh _why _is life so unbelievably complicated? Honestly, you would tire of his questions within minutes of talking to him.

"Plato!"

My eyes drifted to Eric, and I decided introducing them would be a good idea. Let me tell you about Reaper etiquette; it doesn't really exist. No need for courteous bows, hand-shakes, or stuff like that. That's human stuff. Vampires don't shake hands or anything, they tend to nod at each other. "Well, Plato, this is Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5."

Plato nodded at him, attempting to be polite (though not very convincingly). "Nero, I am afraid to inform you of very bad news."

"Me? Shouldn't you go to Alliyah for this sort of thing?" I said, a bad feeling forming in the pit of my tummy.

"That's the bad news," he said solemnly. "Alliyah was hurt. Couple of Devils got her."

If my heart could beat, it'd be hammering against my chest like a hummingbird right now. Alliyah was the one Reaper I truly got on with. In fact, as crazy as it sounded, I _cared _about her. The Devils Plato was talking about are not the ones you're probably thinking of. No, they weren't carrying pointy sticks and didn't have horns or tails or demons by their sides as you descended to Hell. Devils were humans who knew about us, and who fought against us. These demented beings thought that, by killing all the Reapers, they could obtain immortality. As if they could beat Death himself knowing he could not take care of the entire population by himself!

Devils are slim to none. I mean, if a human came up to you and started sprouting nonsense about Death and Reapers and the afterlife, talking about how we could beat him, would you really believe them? Of course not. But some of them still held a strong belief that we could be beaten, and they know our weakness; magic. Which is why we fear witches so much. A witch can use necromancy against us. We are dead, and they could end us if they tried hard enough. Also, when all the work we did – the taking of souls, sending them to the afterlife – they can undo. With a few spells, all that work is useless and they bring the person back. It is unnatural, and it isn't _right_.

When someone dies, it is because it is their time to go. We don't do it out of spite or hatred, it is just because they have to go sometime. Witches think they can change all of that. And the Devils use another weapon, too. Tasers. Electricity, to stun us, basically. If they can stun us long enough for a witch to kill us, then their job is done. One less Reaper to worry about. But it's a pointless war. Just like the vampires have to deal with the humans that hate them and try to stake them, we have to deal with the Devils.

Eric was watching me with great intensity, his eyes filled with curiosity and interest. He has no idea what we mean by Devils. For all he knows we could be talking about the real Devil climbing from the pits of Hell just to murder my roommate. I looked at Plato, taking deep breaths I didn't actually need. They just calmed me a little. "How badly was she hurt?"

"She'll live, if that's what you mean. In fact, she's at your apartment healing right now. Should be good by tomorrow evening at best."

"Did you catch them?"

"No, ma'am," he said cautiously, gauging my reaction. Plato was much younger than me, and he must have thought I'd take my anger out on his gloriously attractive face or something. "Alliyah says they attacked her just as she arrived in Shreveport."

"Shreveport?" I breathed angrily. "They were right here, under our noses?"

"Yes, but we-…Well, we'll try to find them, of course."

"You better," I muttered. "It's nearly impossible though. How exactly did they figure out what Alliyah was?"

"She said something about them seeing the scar on her neck and figuring it out from there, ma'am."

Ugh, I had told her to cover that up. Reapers are marked by Grim himself. Alliyah's mark is in the shape of a lopsided star on her neck. I have a crescent-shape on my right wrist, which I usually hid behind a leather jacket or long-sleeved top. Witches, though I hate to admit it, are not stupid. They know the signs of a Reaper just like human Devils do. Tonight was going horribly wrong, and to top it off, Eric was looking delighted that he had been here to hear this all for himself.

"I'm going," I told him, standing. "C'mon Plato. I'll need your help tonight."

"Nero," Eric called. "I expect you here tomorrow night. Tell Alliyah I hope she feels well soon. Oh, and one more thing Nero. Do not be late. I'm warning you."

I'd have to be an idiot not to hear the threat behind that, wouldn't I?


	6. Escape from the Dragon House

**A/N: **_Thanks for all the feedback! I really appreciate it! :) I'm delighted people like Nero so much :) x_

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><p>- Chapter Five –<p>

_**Escape from the Dragon House**_

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><p><em><em>My heart felt heavy, as if it were weighed down by some unknown force. My eyes prickled, tears threatening to spill over as I watched the only friend I have ever truly loved wince in pain. I bit my lip, begging myself not to cry. Crying can be seen as a weakness, and I did not want Alliyah to think I was weak. Plato stood by the door, averting his eyes as Alliyah lifted her shirt. I choked back a sob as soon as she revealed the extent of her wounds. A large slash went across her back, with a few Taser marks dotting her ivory skin. She pulled her shirt back down, turning to face Plato and I. She gave me a weak smile.

"Don't look so melancholy Nero. It's not as bad as it looks, sweetie."

I blinked, wondering if they had used the Taser so much it had driven her to insanity. "Not too bad?" I repeated. "Alliyah, have you seen yourself?"

She not only had those marks on her back – which, thankfully, were already healing up nicely – but she had a split lip, a black eye, scratches running along her jawline and collarbone and to finish it all up, a large gash on her left eyebrow. "Yes, Nero. I have. And it could have been a lot worse. I got away, didn't I? That is more than can be said for the likes of poor Augustus in Venice, isn't it?"

Ah, yes. I had forgotten that Augustus, a Reaper living in Venice in Italy, had been brutally killed by Devils and a group of witches. Grim was supposed heading to Venice himself to learn more about what happened. I hope he knows some Italian. "But you are still hurt."

"I will heal," she shrugged, wincing as she did so. "Well, Nero, I never expected you to be so concerned about another person before."

I shook myself, realizing that I had let my reputation go with a baby Reaper like Plato standing in the room. Ugh, great. "Yeah well…someone needs to deal with Maggie downstairs."

"So that's why you keep me around?" Alliyah laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Duh. I thought you knew that."

She smiled at me. Then, her eyes fixed themselves upon Plato. "Thank you for your help tonight, Plato. I greatly appreciate it. Goodnight."

"Night, ma'am," he bowed politely. He turned to me. "See ya, Nero."

"What, I don't get a bow?" I smirked. He laughed and left with a smile on his face. Glad to see someone is happy. The problem is, after a few seconds of a nice atmosphere, I only had to look at Alliyah to feel depressed again. It was true that she was healing, but not as quickly as a vampire would. For a crazy moment, I wondered if I should get her some vampire blood, just because I wanted her to feel better. I almost slapped myself, of course.

"I think I'll go to bed now, sweetheart," Alliyah murmured, lying on her stomach because the wounds on her back were still closing up. "Goodnight, Nero."

"Night, Alli."

Later, I sat on my own bed, thinking deeply. I _cared_ about Alliyah. It was a strange feeling, to have someone else's feelings in mind. I had never taken much consideration into what other people felt. If I made someone cry, I didn't care. If I made someone feel bad about themselves, I thought they should toughen up. And if someone called me selfish, then I told myself it was for the best. If you love someone, they might leave you. I've never had family, or at least not that I can remember, so don't go thinking I have some sort of abandonment issues. I don't. I simply don't like being betrayed or hurt. Wouldn't you be the same?

Ugh. Too many thoughts. I'd have to face that Viking bastard tomorrow too. Brilliant.

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><p>Much to my displeasure, I arrived at Fangtasia only to realize Bill Compton was sitting at a table with Sookie Stackhouse beside him. Oh, wonderful, a night listening to him complaining about his vampire life, and how much he misses his human life and blah, blah, blah. Cry me a river, mate. He likes to talk about the horrors of being a member of the un-dead, like how he can't go tanning in the sun when he wants, or coffin-shopping without getting odd looks from other people. Great, just great. Sookie wore a pretty dress though, which made her look like a cute bunny lost in a sea of scary, leather-wearing zombies.<p>

Speaking of leather, I was wearing my old tattered black leather jacket and a red dress to match. I fit in quite well with the crowd, and that was what I wanted. Of course, some vampires eyed me with suspicion. There was Eric, sitting with a bored look on his face. I carefully dodged Sookie and Bill, practically skipping my way to him. I felt good tonight, giddy even. The dancers Eric had tonight were really putting on a show, with a group of humans ogling them and even some vampires watching closely.

"Hey, Viking!"

He blinked lazily at me. Tough crowd.

"How is Alliyah?"

It was my turn to blink, only I was surprised by his polite concern. "She's…okay." My voice wavered, thinking of how her back had been cut open. "Thanks."

"Good. What did your friend call them?"

"Call who?" I asked.

"Devils, was it?"

"Oh. You mean the humans out to get us. The ones who still know of our existence. Hm, yes. Poor Plato, he had never seen wounds like Alliyah's."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Again, I felt wary. Eric, offering to help…Being cautious was the smart thing to do. "No, thank you. Besides, I'm sure you have better things to do."

His gaze was not on me anymore. "Bill Compton keeps looking at us," he murmured slowly.

"Probably hoping we'll be interested in hearing about 'the good old days' before the Civil War and how he was a soldier and the constant hardship he bravely faced before the terrible day he was turned into a vampire, and how he know roams the cemeteries wailing like a Banshee about his old life."

Eric's smirk returned. "I take it you do not like Bill."

"Oh, no, I really do," I said honestly. "I like his manners, the way he talks and walks, the way he's ever so polite. What I don't like is him complaining about immortality. He could find a stake and end it all if he really wanted to. He's lucky he has Sookie."

"Sookie?" Eric repeated. "The human in the cute dress?"

"Yes. I met her in Merlotte's recently, remember?"

"Sit," Eric commanded, motioning at the chair beside him.

"Am I supposed to be your dog now, Eric?"

He rolled his eyes, but he said, "Nero, would you be so kind as to treat me to a wonderful night in your company by occupying the seat beside me?"

"That's better. How am I supposed to take you seriously when you're sitting in a _throne_ anyway?"

"This is for show, Nero. I thought someone as…_eccentric_ as you would have realized that by now. The tourists come here expecting to see vampires like Dracula. I merely give them what they want."

Dang, this seat was comfy. You had to admit, he had style. But I smiled at him anyway. "What happened to the days when vampires were blood-thirsty, vicious villains…not bringing their fangs out just to pose for pictures with ditzy tourists?"

"I thought Compton was supposed to be the one talking about the 'good old days'. And if you really like, I could show you just how blood-thirsty I can be."

Was that supposed to be a turn-on? If so, he had just failed entirely. I sighed, slumping in my chair. Sometimes, I really wish I was the real Emperor Nero, my name-sake, so I could throw the people I did not like into a pit with a lion and have them fight to the death like Gladiators. Not that I would throw Eric into a pit like that. No, he was far too handsome. I might throw Maggie in. Definitely throw Sprinkles, her cat, into the pit. Oh yeah, and every witch in the world. Good.

It was hard to keep a straight face when a bald, middle-aged man approached Eric and began offering himself to him. I put my hand over my mouth, averted my eyes and tried desperately hard not to burst into uncontrollable giggles. Do humans not find that degrading? Eric was simply staring at a wall, a look of complete loathing on his face. I couldn't help myself – I giggled. His eyes drifted to mine, and he kept looking at me as he kicked the man away. My surprised gaze followed the man as he flew across the room, crashing into a table.

"Was that you showing me how much of a blood-thirsty, vicious villain you are?"

He smirked. Pam appeared, whispering into her Maker's ear. Sookie and I glanced at one another, and she shot me a nervous smile. I returned it with far more confidence. Poor Sookie. She was just a bloody waitress, yet here she was sitting in a vampire. I wouldn't have guessed looking at her that she'd like them. I thought she would go for the normal boring old life. Apparently, I was wrong. Eric was still smirking once Pam had finished chatting with him, and she gave me a devious smile. A-huh, something is going on here.

"How about we have some fun, Nero?"

"Fun?" I repeated, perking up. "Really? Finally, I thought we were gonna be sitting here all night! What do you have in mind?"

He nodded in Sookie's direction, and then summoned them. The smile was wiped right off my face. "Your idea of a good time is spending a night in Compton's company?"

Again, I slumped in my chair, putting a hand under my chin to support myself. Eric does not know what fun means, it seems. "Play nice, Nero," Eric murmured as they approached us. "Stay patient. All in good time."

"Give me a break Eric."

"Do cheer up, Nero," Pam purred. "Bill's human is a delicious sight."

Vampires had to be the most irritating creatures you could ever encounter. I'm pretty sure a troll would be more fun to talk to right about now, and they can only communicate in a series of mismatched grunts and growls.

"Bill Compton," Eric said, looking predominantly bored out of his mind. Bill made sure to hold Sookie's hand. She looked at me, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged, letting her know that this was not my idea of a good time either. "It has been a while."

"Yes, well I've been.."

"Mainstreaming. I heard." Eric's eyes drifted to me, and so did Bill's. Woops. Eric looked at Sookie then, a small smile on his lips. "I see that is going…well for you."

"Yes of course, sorry, Eric this is my friend -…"

"Sookie Stackhouse."

"How do you know my name?"

I deadpanned, rolling my eyes. Obviously, who else could that have come from? Billy-boy looked over at me again, and I cast him a not-entirely apologetic smile. I guess I won't be on the guest list to his birthday party if I kept this up. How unfortunate. Pam tapped her head, saying Sookie was in some vault or something, I don't know, I had stopped listening. I wondered if there was a way of poisoning Sprinkles the cat without getting caught. Yes, I could wait until Maggie fell asleep, sneak into her apartment and get rid of that damn menace without her ever knowing I was involved.

Alliyah would be furious with me though. In the long run, however, I think she'd be glad I got rid of the cat.

"Nero."

No more dodging a demented, serial-killer of a cat on my way to my apartment, that's for sure. I could get Maggie a budgie to make up for it. Actually, no, I'm not a big fan of birds either. I could buy her a turtle. They don't make any noise and Maggie can spend her days looking after it. She can even give it a ridiculous name like Sprinkles.

"Nero!"

Eric's voice pulled me out of my turtle-filled thoughts. Everyone was looking at me, even Pam. "Sookie says you Reaped this souls, did you not?"

"You know I did," I replied curtly. He smirked.

He was holding two pictures in his hand. He pointed at the left one. "This one offered herself to me, but I found her too pathetic for my intentions. Now this one however," he continued, pointing at the right. "I have tasted."

He said it with an air of pride. I stood up, surprising him. "I'm going to go get a drink."

He did not argue, but he looked smug. Did he think me jealous or something, because he tasted a simple human? Sookie soon took my place, but I was a bit distracted by the list of drinks written above the bar on a glowing red sign. What on earth was a 'Bloody Mary'? I chewed my lip in thought. Alcohol has no effect on me, but I did feel thirsty.

"What can I get you?" Longshadow asked. Ha, what a stupid name. Almost as bad as Sprinkles. Imagine a vampire being called Sprinkles. Oh, I crack myself up. I had never spoken to Longshadow before, but we both knew the other through Eric and Pam at least.

"Huh. Eric didn't really recommend anything," I shrugged. "So anything will do."

As he began pouring a brightly-coloured liquid into a glass – it was blue! Should I really drink something given to me by a man named _Longshadow_? – without telling me what it was. "Compton's human friend has been asking questions."

"Oh yeah? And what did you tell her?"

"That those women she came here to find wanted to die. After all, we are death."

I sniggered, wondering if he was really serious. "You think you are Death? You obviously haven't met him then. He has better bone-structure, firstly. And secondly, vampires might be part of the un-dead, but they are not _truly_ Death. You have never seen the Underworld. You don't know the half of it."

Had Eric told him what I was? It seemed like he hadn't, as Longshadow merely narrowed his eyes at me with a lot of suspicion. I took a sip of the drink, scrunching my face up in disgust. Ew, yuck. It tasted dreadful. Longshadow smiled darkly at me before he went to take someone else's order. I was quite enjoying myself. That is, until I heard, "Police! Everybody stay where you are!"

_Finally_, something interesting happens. I turned around, leaned against the bar and watched humans trampling each other to get out. I took a sip of my drink, deciding it could use something to sweeten it. Of course, when someone grabbed me by my waist, I forgot all about the drink and it crashed to the ground. Suddenly, I was swept up in the chaos of it all, gripping the arms of…_Eric._ Through the tangle of humans and screams and yells, Eric was taking us away from it all, skilfully running out the back door.

Eric seemed to glide effortlessly. "You were right!" I laughed. "That was fun!"

He gave me a dark look. We were already at his car, and he was opening the passenger door. Without much grace, he locked me into the car. For a moment, all was silent. The police sirens had stopped wailing, but people were still running from Fangtasia. Then, the driver's door opened and Eric slid in, starting the car. I tried to open my door, but it was locked.

"I can't leave my car here!" I replied furiously.

"Don't worry, Pam is taking care of it."

"W-What? But she doesn't even have my keys!"

"Yes, she does."

I felt my pockets, realizing that he was right. My keys were gone. We had left Fangtasia as quickly as possible. "When did you steal my keys?"

"When I was saving you," he said simply, glancing at his rear-view mirror. "You didn't look too bothered by a police raid. What if they had arrested you?"

"I'd get out of it somehow. And do _not _steal from me again!"

"Where do you live?"

I was flabbergasted. "What?"

"Pam needs to know where to drop the car off, Nero. I told her I would call her with a location."

I scowled, telling him my details, but warning him to keep Pam away from Alliyah. He then reminded me that she couldn't even if she wanted to, because she'd need an invitation into our apartment, and Alliyah was no fool. As we drove, he began to hum. "Tell me, Nero. How did Sookie know the cops were coming? Was she a part of this raid?"

I snorted. "Hell, no. She's a waitress." I didn't mention the whole 'reading-minds' thing. He would use Sookie. Sure, we weren't best friends or anything, but I knew what it felt like to owe something to Eric. Speaking of which… "Thank you."

He looked over at me. "What's this? Nero, thanking _me_? I am honoured."

I rolled my eyes at his sarcastic tone. "If I had been arrested, Alliyah would have-…"

"Grounded you? Put you on time-out?"

"Fuck you, Eric. Where are we going anyway?"

"I thought we could spend some time together."

Oh, hell. This night will never end.


	7. Wicked Ways

**A/N: **_I got into the writing mood, which is why I want to post at least two more chapters today! :) Please review if you like it! :D x_

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><p>- Chapter Six –<p>

_**Wicked Ways**_

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><p><em><em>"Really, Nero, do _try _to look as if you're having fun."

Without looking away from his amused eyes, I viciously stabbed my fork into my spaghetti and gave him a wide, beaming smile. He took a sip of his TruBlood, watching the group of people that bustled past us as they grabbed the table behind us. They glanced at us with disapproving looks, because I was in a leather scruffy jacket and I had pink hair – one woman didn't seem to think it was possible for hair to ever be that colour - and he was wearing a simple wife-beater, black pants and large black boots. We looked as if we had won some kind of competition to get to eat in a place as nice as this, because they were all wearing gorgeous, expensive dresses and jewellery. This was not the case, as you and I both know. Eric was just a very wealthy kind of guy.

"Do you think a man taking an attractive woman out to dinner is some form of torture, Nero?" Eric asked, and I could tell he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Of course not." I smiled, merely because he called me attractive. He knew exactly how to get me on his side, and that was complimenting my already inflated ego. Ugh, I am so vain sometimes. Too much for my own good. "Sorry, Eric. So what will you do about Fangtasia?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well it was raided."

"They probably found nothing. This is not the first time it's happened, Nero."

"I guessed as much," I shrugged. "How is your Maker? Alliyah was talking about him the other night."

Eric's gaze became distant, before he focused on me once more. He cleared his throat. "Good. He was quite surprised to hear you were in Shreveport."

"What were you doing, the night I met you Germany? When both of you were posing as Nazi officials. Seems dangerous to me. You must have been after something important," I said carefully. He grinned, swirling his TruBlood around in its bottle.

"That, Nero, is none of your concern."

"Rats. You got me, I'm a nosey kind of gal. I was hoping you would have a moment of madness and tell me all your deepest, darkest secrets Mr Northman," I replied lazily, stretching in my seat. A woman in the table across from us took one look at my hair and scowled, huffing about how they'd 'let anyone in here these days'. I grinned at her. "You're right, sweetheart, with that outfit on you'd look much better in a brothel."

She looked positively outraged, looking at her husband and waiting for him to say something. He opened his mouth and turned to face me, only to spot Eric. Needless to say he slithered back into his seat much to his wife's disapproval. I smiled, knowing he was in for a rough night with his wife because he hadn't said anything to defend her. Woopsie, there I go again, destroying marriages. Can't say I felt much guilt about it. I sighed and looked up at Eric, who was smiling. Not smirking, _smiling_.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just find you amusing, is all. You have a lot of courage."

"What? To openly admit that that woman looks as if she found a trash bag and decided it was good enough to wear on a night out? Just _look_ at her dress Eric, doesn't it make you want to vomit?"

He chuckled. "I see your point. It's hideous. You, on the other hand, look marvelous tonight Nero."

"If you are trying to get in my pants, you are doing a bloody wonderful job of it," I replied sarcastically. I took a sip of the drink on my table, eying it. I had had it many times before, but I couldn't recall the name. It was a dark liquid, fizzing on top. Eric seemed to read my mind.

"It's Coca-Cola, Nero. I haven't tried to poison you or get you drunk."

"Alcohol has no effect on me. If you tried to drug me, then you might have a chance, but I don't think it would last long."

"Are you really giving me advice on how to drug you?"

I shrugged carelessly. "If you're gonna do something, you might as well do it right."

He shook his head. "You are strange, Nero, even for a Reaper."

The group that had walked in earlier were now ordering. One woman had very nice hair, which I admired while Eric began talking about the raid at Fangtasia. It was a dirty blonde, much like Sookie's brother's. It looked a lot like my natural colour. I have the same hair colour Jason does, but I just want my hair to be pink. It stands out more. This woman sitting across from us had a nice red streak through her hair though. I should probably get one like that. Not with pink though, that would be bad.

"Do you think they will raid your bar again soon?" I asked once I realized he was talking about said raid.

He shrugged. "I do nothing illegal at my bar. I did not realize there was a human being fed on in the bathrooms. I will make sure it does not happen again."

From the small trace of a threat in that, I was certain he wouldn't. "Alright-y then. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom. And no, you can't tag along. Try not to miss me too much Northman."

"It's practically tearing me apart," he replied sarcastically, raising a hand to catch the attention of the waiter to order a new TruBlood.

Even the bathrooms were fancy in this place. The name of the restaurant was carved into the pretty little soap bars. Ooh. Eric sure knew how to treat the Reaper women in his life, didn't he? After a quick trip to the loo, I began to fix my hair in the mirror, when I smelled something. My skin prickled, and I think you know what that means – witches. The horrid smell of perfume mixed with something similar to spices. I closed my eyes briefly.

"Hey sweetie, you don't have any eyeliner on you, do you? I seem to have forgotten mine. I must have left it in the hotel. We're only staying for the night, you see."

I spun on my heels, on my guard, backing up against the sink. The woman in front of me looked baffled for a moment, and I carefully hid the scar that Marked me on my wrist by twisting the sleeves of my jacket over it. Witches still had human senses, of course, which gave me an advantage. As long as she did not see the Mark she could not know what I was, right? I desperately hoped so. I gave her a beaming smile, realizing it was the woman I had seen earlier, the dirty blonde-haired woman with the red streak in her hair.

"Sorry, I'm fresh out," I said, keeping my voice strong. I deserve an Oscar. Bow to me Angelina Jolie, because I am doing a fantastic job of acting. She didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Ah, darn. Thanks anyway sweetheart. Hey, do you smell something funny?"

I pretended to sniff the air. She must be a very young witch. An older, experienced witch would realize that that was the scent of a Reaper. I was once told by a witch that I smelled like sweet honey. I wanted to reply to this woman and say something like, 'Yeah, it's the smell of your flesh burning while I tie you to a stake, you crazy witch!' but that would be blowing my cover. My hands were shaking. Yes, I know, it's pathetic, but what would you do if the one thing that could really kill you stood in front of you, asking if they could borrow your eyeliner? I wasn't even _wearing_ any eyeliner to begin with.

"No. Just the soap," I said, giggling breathlessly, edging toward the door. She took my spot and began putting on some mascara in the mirror. "Well, gotta go."

"Thanks again!"

For what? I did nothing you damn witch. "Oh, sure, no problem."

I marched past the group she was with on my way to Eric as quickly as possible, grabbing his hand as I did so and pulling him from his seat. He almost sloshed his TruBlood all over the table, but with his vampire reflexes, managed to stop himself in time. He looked at me, his brows furrowing in anger. "What are you doing Nero?"

"We need to go," I babbled. "Right now, we need to leave, come on!"

The witch appeared, re-joining the table. They were laughing and joking, and I didn't know if they were all witches. I doubted it, because she was the only one who smelled of magic. Eric took one look at the nervousness in my eyes and nodded, signalling the waiter to bring his check. He didn't even wait for his change, just pulled us out of the restaurant without asking questions. I was grateful. Once we were in the car, I let out a deep breath. He waited patiently, watching me. We were still in the parking lot, with only a distant street-light to see with.

"Witch," I stated bluntly, and he raised an eyebrow. "In the bathroom. Asked for eyeliner."

"Have you had too much Coca-Cola or something-…" he began.

"No, let me explain," I snapped. "That woman, with the red streak in her hair. Did you see her?"

He shook his head. "I was more engrossed in our conversation, unlike you Nero."

"Hey, I'm a woman, we can multi-task better than you guys can," I muttered, not entirely truthfully. "Anyway, I went into the bathroom, and I could smell the scent of a witch. Next thing I knew, she was asking if I had any eyeliner. She said she was only staying for the night in Shreveport, so that's good enough for me. She didn't realize what I was."

"You look frightened," he observed. "I've never seen you show any fear before. Not once."

"Whoop-de-doo, Eric," I laughed. "I hate witches. If she had seen my Mark…"

"Mark?" he repeated.

I showed him the crescent shape on my wrist, and he stared at it for a few moments before I covered it up, as if I expected to turn around and find a witch peering in my window. Nope, no witches there. "Older witches know us by our scent, things like that, and our Mark. That's how they got Alliyah. But this witch, she must be extremely inexperienced not to realize she was chatting with a Reaper. What if she had figured me out?"

"I would have saved you, of course," he grinned cockily.

"Sure you would," I replied, smiling despite myself. Even though Eric's calmness was reassuring, I still a little freaked out. Running into witches was not a common thing. I had had a lucky escape.

"You really are frightened," he noted. "You are paler than usual."

"That could be because I'm dead, you know."

He started the car up, and soon we were driving. "Godric was correct."

"Huh?"

"Reapers have never been entirely honest as to why they dislike Reapers so much, yet Godric had a theory that it was because witches can use magic to evade Death himself. Not forever, of course. No one lives forever," he said as simply as if describing a recent change in weather. "But they can mess with him nonetheless. Like necromancy."

"He sees it as stealing what is his. Do they not know all the complicated work that goes with someone dying?" I muttered furiously. "They go to the Underworld, but a witch will drag them right back. And, they can kill us."

He turned to face me then, surprise evident on his face. "Kill you? But I thought-…"

"Like you said Eric, no one lives forever. Not even those on Death's side."

He remained silent, clearly thinking this over. When we arrived outside our apartments, I gave him a smile. "Thank you Eric. It was a really nice night. Despite the witches."

"Despite the witches," he repeated. "This witch said she was leaving Shreveport tonight?"

"Yup. Count our blessings. Night Eric. I'll try and come to Fangtasia tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Nero."


	8. The Glorious Dead

**A/N: **_There's gonna be more Eric soon, just have to go through the basics with the show! :) _

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><p>- Chapter Seven –<p>

_**The Glorious Dead**_

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><p><em><em>"You been here long, ma'am?"

Andy Bellefleur truly was a clueless cop. Rubbing my eyes tiredly, I watched him slip into the seat across from me, and I sighed. It was far too early in the morning for this guy. He was obviously playing a game of 'who-dunnit' with anyone who came anywhere near him. He was clutching at straws, questioning me. I gave him a weary smile, more interested in ordering some breakfast than listening to some idiotic buffoon give me grief. "A couple of weeks."

"Nina, is it?" he asked.

I blinked, almost laughing. "Nero. Like the Roman Emperor."

Clearly he had not paid much attention in history class, for he looked completely baffled the moment I said 'Roman', and instead took out a little notebook and began scribbling pointless things down. I spotted Lafayette watching us carefully, and I gave him a smile. Hopefully he was having a much better morning than I was. Fucking Andy, messing things up. Everything was going just fine. Alliyah was almost entirely recovered, too. But Andy had to go asking questions.

"Alright Nero," he began. He said my name funny. I don't think it was his accent, 'cause Sookie said it just fine. Whereas she said "Near-oh" like it was supposed to be, he said something similar to "Nay-rooh'. I let it slide however. The faster I answered, the faster he would get off his fat-ass and leave me the Hell alone. "Did you know Dawn Green or Maudette Pickens?"

"No sir. I live in Shreveport. I come to Bon Temps to see…friends," I said, glancing in Sookie's direction.

"Crazy Sookie Stackhouse?"

"Watch your mouth," I replied dangerously. I was not in the mood for men like this. Patronizing, stupid monkeys. "Sookie is not insane. You would do well to remember that."

"You threatenin' me?" he asked gruffly, puffing his chest out.

"If I were to threaten you, Sheriff Bellefleur, I would not be so stupid as to do it in a crowded place with witnesses, now would I? I'd do it in a quiet place, without anyone else around. Much more effective. I thought that would be obvious to a cop. See, if your job is to catch criminals, you might want to think like them too."

He became flustered, even more so when Sookie came bouncing over. He left with red, flushed cheeks, shooting suspicious glances at me. Sookie quickly replaced his seat, positively glowing. "Thank you."

"Excuse me?"

"I heard Andy thinking about what you said," she said, tapping her head to make sure I knew she had done it telepathically. "You defended me."

I grumbled something incoherently, wishing she hadn't heard that. So what, I'm protective of friends that I like. "Whatever. How come you don't do your damn job and serve me? I don't come in here for chit-chat Sook. Isn't this a restaurant?"

She was still too thrilled that I had been kind enough to defend her. Her hair put into pigtails today, and I wondered if she had some make-up on. Andy Bellefleur took a seat at the bar, chatting to Sam Merlotte. I raised an eyebrow, noting how Sam was casting glances at Sookie every few seconds, seemingly nervous. Well, well, what's going on here? I smiled knowingly. Did Mr Merlotte like Sookie then? Which meant Bill would be most displeased.

"How's Billy-boy?" I asked.

"How should I know?" she shrugged.

"Trouble in paradise," I smirked. "Well then, what happened?"

She glanced around, as if checking for ninjas or spies. "I feel like I'm in another world when I'm with Bill, Nero. As if I'm in Narnia."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where's that?"

Sookie stared at me for a moment before she burst into uncontrollable giggles. I watched her, alarmed by this. Sookie put her hands over her mouth to try and stop herself, but it was impossible. I waited impatiently for her to settle down. "Narnia isn't a real place, Nero. It's from a book, silly!"

I scowled. "Well how am I supposed to know that? I have never heard of this Narninny-…"

"_Narnia_," she corrected.

"Narnia, whatever. Look Sookie, you'd be surprised how many times places have changed their names. Things have changed in the past thousand years. I lose track of it all, sometimes. I simply assumed it was a real place."

Her giggling subsided. "You know, that's a little depressing."

"How so?"

"Things changing, having to adapt all the time. Doesn't it get frustrating?"

"Can you please get me some breakfast before I die of starvation?"

"_Can_ you die of starvation?"

"Well wait another five minutes and we'll find out!" I snapped.

She grinned and ran off, a skip in her step. I didn't want to admit that I had thought about everything changing many times. After a few moments of blissful silence, Sookie returned. Seeing as the bar was practically empty, she took her seat again and I began eating the food gratefully. I can still feel hungry sometimes. I loved bacon. Sookie was quick to figure that one out.

"Do you know about other things from movies and books…like, well, take for example Prince Charming?"

"Where did he rule?" I asked curiously, and again Sookie burst out laughing.

"He didn't actually rule anything Nero! It's a term for the perfect man, you know, like the Disney princes?"

I must have had a totally blank expression on my face, for she began laughing again. "I can't believe you don't know all this. Do you know the story of Beauty and the Beast? Cinderella? Snow White?"

"Um… Is that the one about the seven goblins?"

"_Dwarves_," she corrected. "Snow White and the Seven _Dwarves_, Nero. Jeez, I'm going to have to rent those out and make you watch them. I think you'd like them."

Once I had finished my breakfast, I felt much better. Clearly I'm not a morning person. I just have to have my breakfast before I can face the day. Sookie continued to quiz me, utterly amazed by my lack of knowledge on modern films and television shows. We owned a television, Alliyah and I, but she was rarely around to watch it. When I did have the time, I never kept up with anything. I liked to read, but it was mainly history books. Reminiscing, I suppose. Why would I even bother with modern television anyway? In a hundred years it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I prefer books. Though everything Sookie named I failed to recognize.

"King Kong?" Sookie asked hopefully. This was about the twentieth movie she had asked, and out of them all I knew about five.

I felt a little sceptical, wondering if it was a trick like Prince Charming, who really wasn't the prince of anything. "Hm. King Kong…He wasn't a proper King, was he? I like reading history books, but I can't recall that name…"

"He wasn't even human," Sookie giggled. "He was a gorilla. A giant one."

"That is truly ridiculous."

"Hey, Nero…would you like to come to the Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting tonight?"

"Huh? Is that a band like the ones you mentioned earlier?"

She laughed again. "No. It's this…well, a club sort of thing. Bill's gonna be speaking there about his life as a soldier-…"

"Oh goody," I muttered sarcastically. What else could I possibly want?

"My gran would greatly appreciate it. And I would, too."

I sighed. "One sec." I pulled my List from my pocket, checking there were no names. Satisfied, I nodded at Sookie. "Looks like I'll be going. What is this thing anyway?"

"It's a club my Gran set up to learn more about the Civil War."

"Ah, Billy finally has his time to shine," I smiled. "Good for him. So, what has you so indifferent about our favourite soldier anyway? You mentioned Narninny earlier-…"

"Narnia, Nero, Narnia!"

"Yeah, yeah, you knew what I meant. Narnia. Being in another world."

"Vampires…they don't see things like we do."

"By 'we', I assume you refer to humans."

"Yes."

"What did he do?"

"He Glamoured a cop."

I waited, eyebrows raised for her to continue. When she said nothing, I laughed. "Is that all? My, you got off easy then."

"What do you mean by that? He _could _have bitten him! Killed him, if I weren't there!"

"But you were. And that cop is alive. What's the big deal?"

"Well it wasn't _right_ Nero!"

"Sookie, let me break this down in terms you can fully comprehend – what you are referring to, this 'right and wrong' business, that is a human thing." She was looking baffled, so I rolled my eyes and continued anyway. "Vampires do not concern themselves with that. At least, they didn't before. Now they have the media's eye on them, they're more careful to cover their tracks. But they _still murder_, they still drink blood, they are still dead. Just because humans know about it doesn't mean they suddenly gain a pulse. The same goes for Reapers. If I don't care about someone, then I don't care. I'll be polite if I have to be, but that's as far as I'll go. Understand?"

Her face was scrunched up, but she nodded. Good. That's my deed of the day done.

"Do you think Bill is a good guy?"

"Sure. I might think he's a bit of a bore, but I think he has a heart in there somewhere, whether it's beating or not."

"Thanks, Nero."

"No problem Sook."

* * *

><p>Adele Hale Stackhouse had to be the nicest woman ever. Really. The moment I walked in she told me about the wonderful buffet, which put her in my good books. She must know I like good food. Smart woman. I glanced around, noticing the red-haired waitress from Merlotte's was throwing me dirty looks. What was her problem anyway? I stood with Sookie's gran for a moment, watching with great amusement as Hoyt Fortenberry's mother tried to take down a cross she thought would offend Bill.<p>

This place smelled of old people. Judging by the fact that half the crowd was over sixty-five at the very least, that seemed about right.

"This looks like a popular club, Miss Stackhouse," I smiled politely.

"Oh you can call me Adele, dear," she replied, patting my arm gently.

"Then you may call me Nero."

"What a beautiful name!"

If this woman didn't stop pulling on my heart-strings I'd actually wishing I had a grandmother of my own. I might just have to kidnap her. I'm pretty sure Alliyah would be furious if I went around kidnapping grannies, but Hell if I care. "Thank you, Adele. Where is Bill, by the way? He's a…a friend of mine, you see. We've known each other for quite a while."

"Oh he's in the kitchen with a bottle of TruBlood. I do hope he enjoys himself tonight."

Bill, not enjoying the chance to torture us with stories of the good old days when women wore dresses that weighed three times their body weight? Never! "Don't you worry about that Adele, he'll have a great time, I'm sure of it."

I sat by myself, watching in great amusement as Hoyt Fortenberry and his mother tried to remove a cross they thought would offend Bill. I hadn't been in a church in a long time. Religion didn't exactly appeal to me. To the others around me, it was clearly important. I had even spotted that red-haired waitress – currently throwing me dirty looks that could kill – wearing a cross around her neck. She's no more religious than I am, I bet. If I asked her right now to tell me the ten commandments, she wouldn't even be able to tell me one.

And, to top off my evening, Sookie arrived…with Sam Merlotte hot on her heel. I perked up instantly. A tactic to make Billy-boy jealous, huh? Oh, maybe tonight would be fun after all! Something to shake this meeting up a bit. They had really gone all out for Bill, with flags up and everything. I admired them briefly. Once she spotted me, Sookie made me sit beside her. She chatted to me, introduced me to an angry young lady Tara, who I was pretty sure I had met in Merlotte's before.

Everyone was fanning themselves. Apparently it was quite hot in here, but I didn't feel a thing. Sookie handed me a fan, told me to try and fit in. I told her I wasn't a damn sheep, but I took it anyway, feeling mighty entertained. This should be good.


	9. An Unfortunate Discovery

**A/N: **_Thanks for the reviews and everything guys! :) x_

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><p>- Chapter Eight –<p>

_**An Unfortunate Discovery**_

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><p><em><em>I don't know if it's because I work for Death, or if I'm just a bad person in general, but I find the misfortunate of others to be quite hilarious at times. This entire town is so twisted with secrets and lies, it's hard to know where to start. Take the married couple at the back of this room for example. For the past ten minutes of sitting with Sookie, I had been listening – it wasn't _eavesdropping_, even if they were whispering in hushed voices! I can't help having sensitive hearing, stronger than human senses! – to them argue over the fact that just five hours ago, the wife walked in on her husband having sex with their twenty-four year old neighbour. He was fifty-four, missing a tooth and currently balding right where he sat, so I'm not sure what that woman found so attractive about him.

The couple, for some insane reason, were trying to pretend everything was completely normal. 'Keeping up appearances', as the husband said. Then, you had Sookie's brother just three seats down from me, acting completely bonkers. Maxine Fortenberry, Hoyt's mother, threw an American flag over the cross, which made me smile a little. Sookie was sitting rigidly still beside me, and Sam told her to relax. I could smell shifter on him.

"Yeah, Sam's right Sookie, stop acting so _shifty_," I said, waiting to check her reaction. From the emphasis on the word, he looked right at me, eyes wide. Ah, so we did have a Shifter in our midst. He clearly didn't want anyone knowing this, so I sat back in my seat with a satisfied look on my face. Adele Stackhouse appeared at the front of the hall, telling us all how wonderful it was to see us. What a sweetheart. I wished Maggie was as nice and sweet as she was. Of course, I had to get the old hag for a neighbour instead of the stereotypical granny like Adele.

Down the row of seats, I spotted Jason Stackhouse looking thoroughly excited when his Gran mentioned some damn ambrosias. Freaky. I sat up in my chair. I half-wished Eric was here, though I don't know why. Maybe because he has the same humour as I do, and we'd have a right laugh watching Bill. Humph. Adele reminded me of Sookie, the way she bobbed her head and spoke with manners. Again, I found myself wishing she lived in our apartment block.

When everyone started clapping, I jumped from my thoughts, realizing 'William Thomas Compton' had joined us. I considered jumping up and screaming 'Woo! You go Billy!' but thought the better of it. "Ooh, look at his suit," I whistled, nudging Sookie. She rolled her eyes at me. Bill, always one for the surprise and dramatics, pulled the American flag from the Holy Cross up front. I quirked an eyebrow. And so it begins.

He even cracked a joke about bursting into flames. That's my boy!

"Vampires are not minions of the Devil," Bill said, and he made a point to look directly at me. I scowled. I work for Death, not the Devil. Death pays better, I bet. Just kidding. I think.

"I served in the…"

My eyes drooped and I let out a fake snore, until Sookie shook me. She gave me a dark glare, pointing at me with a stern finger. "Don't you dare," she hissed.

"I was just kidding around Sookie," I muttered. "What are you my mom?"

"I'll treat you like a kid unless you start behaving yourself missy."

"I'm a thousand years old."

"I don't care."

I scowled again, crossing my arms over my chest. Then I realized I was mirroring the red-haired little girl on the other side of the church. Her mother – that red-haired waitress lady – had been giving out to her and her brother for whispering while Bill spoke, and I realized I was acting exactly like a child. Literally. I pouted anyway, sitting up in my chair and holding my head high. The boy beside the woman whispered, "Momma, he's so white!"

She replied, "No hunny, _we're _white, he's dead!"

I spluttered with laughter for a second, containing myself the moment Sookie's eyes roamed to look at me. I held it in, and she looked away after a moment. I grinned to myself. I like that waitress. She might be a little dumb, but she is certainly funny. Sniggering filled the audience, and when I glanced over, three idiots were crushing garlic. Bill met my eyes, and – even I was surprised at this – I shot him a reassuring smile. He continued with one final glare at the men.

"My great-grandfather was in the twenty-eighth…I wondered if you might-a known him," one man said, standing in the crowd.

"Great, a trip down memory lane," I whispered.

Sookie quickly hushed me. Christ, she really was like a mother. She reminded me of Alliyah in so many ways. When I looked back, barely listening as Bill told him all about this Humphries man he fought with, I noticed a man with an eye-patch in the crowd. Whoa, that's pretty cool. Hey, I might be a thousand years old, but eye-patches are still awesome in my humble opinion.

All thoughts of becoming a swash-buckling pirate with an eye-patch vanished from my mind as I watched Bill stare at a picture of his family. For what seemed like the hundredth time, I felt a small twinge of jealously in the pit of my stomach, simply because I envied the fact that he could remember his relatives and I couldn't. Sometimes I wonder if it's better that way

Sometimes I wonder if anyone noticed I was gone. When I died, I mean. Did anyone care that I had died? Surely I made some kind of impression in my human life. I must have had parents. I mean, you know the birds and the bees, so according to that I must have had a mum and dad at some point. What was my human name? Did I have the same appearance, personality and out-look on life, or did that all change when I died? And how did I die? Hopefully it was something heroic and brave. Or maybe I just died from the plague, or I drank poison or something silly like that. It would be far more interesting if I died fighting a dragon. I really doubt that was it though. Absentmindedly, I began rubbing the scar on my wrist, wondering if that had something to do with it.

Sookie was watching me, and her eyes trailed down to my wrist, widening slightly at the sight of my Mark. I quickly covered up and pretended nothing had happened. She might question me about that later, but for now she returned to watching Bill, a concerned look on her face as he spoke of his family.

When it was all over, I felt surprisingly sad for Bill. Perhaps it is best I do not remember my family, if the memories of his bring such pain to his life. I piled my plate as high as it would go when it was time for the buffet. Sookie eyed me suspiciously, though I wasn't even doing anything. I was pestered by Hoyt's mother for nearly twenty minutes, who dropped unsubtle hints about what a wonderful husband her son would make, much to his embarrassment. He squirmed and told her to stop. I smiled, though I wasn't planning on marrying Hoyt anytime soon, sweet as he was.

As I stuffed my face with delicious food, I watched the awkward moment between Bill and Sam. Sam was going to take Sookie for 'coffee'. Is that the new term for sex or something? Probably not. Sookie wasn't that kind of girl. If Sam said coffee, I guess he truly meant it. Bill, however, was less than approving with that constipated frown on his face. He could at least try and mask his jealousy.

With Sookie having abandoned me for 'coffee', I was left to fend for myself. A whole bunch of elderly people chatted with me, asking me all sorts of questions. Adele sat with me, chatting pleasantly. All was going well.

"Well, I best get going Adele. I have a…another meeting to attend to."

She hugged me goodbye, as did another few elderly people I had forgotten the names of. Bill had certainly surprised me tonight.

* * *

><p>"Eric, what's happened?"<p>

He paced his office, back and forth, back and forth. My eyes tracked him, watching his fists clench and unclench, watching his muscles tense. In any other situation, watching his muscles like this would be a pleasant experience. But now, I knew he was absolutely furious. I took off my jacket, put it on the sofa and hugged myself, checking him closely. His brows were furrowed, his eyes distant and his mouth curled into a snarl. "Someone has stolen from me!"

"Stolen?" I repeated.

"Sixty-thousand dollars!"

My mouth fell open in shock, but before I could even think of what to say, Eric rounded on me. He's well over six foot, and so it was a small bit intimidating to have him looming about like a Mountain Giant. I thanked my lucky stars we didn't live anywhere near a mountainous area where we _could _run into such a creature, and that is what just Eric in front of me. Calmly, I stood to my full height and looked him right in the eye. Don't they say that if you run into a mountain lion, you have to make yourself appear big and large and threatening?

"Someone _stole_ from me," he repeated, and he grabbed my shoulders, bending close to me. Our noses were almost touching. "Nero, did you have something to do with this?"

Automatically, my hand clenched into a fist and I aimed a punch at him, but he was expecting that and caught it easily. "How dare you! You bastard, I would never steal from you! I don't need _money_, Eric, I'm as well off as you are, you ignorant blood-sucking twat! If I were to take something from you, it would be something of value, like…oh, say, you're _life _for example!" I yelled furiously. "Because if you have forgotten, let me remind you what I am! A Reaper! We have no use for your filthy money!"

"Godric said Reapers are not to be trusted-…"

"Oh and you didn't ask Godric to give you advice on how to handle your cash huh?"

He went to grab my throat, but I was quick enough to dodge him. His eyes were blazing, as if fire was burning behind them, his jaw was locked in a tense grimace and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. He began pacing again, and I grabbed my jacket.

"Forget your permission, being 'yours'," I spat. "I told Alliyah this was a bad idea. I should have never of lowered myself to this, for crying out loud."

I made my way across the room, before I felt that strange, almost indescribable kind of feeling. It stopped me in my tracks, and when I felt my skin prickle, I assumed a witch was around, but I was wrong. A name had been added to my List. When you feel that shivery feeling down your spine, it means someone is dying and they are dying _now_. Oh, hell! I had to get there fast before the soul wandered off. The way I had stopped made Eric freeze in his pacing.

"Nero? What is it?"

I checked my pockets, pulling out the List and staring at the inked word at the very top. I suddenly felt very sick, and fell onto Eric's sofa, staring at it. It was flashing now, meaning this poor soul was dying as we speak. It meant I would have to get there very quickly. Eric's anger had vanished, replaced by an anxious curiosity. I let him grab the List from my hands, staring at the ground. Yet the image was still engraved in my mind.

_Adele Hale Stackhouse, Bon Temps, Louisiana. _


	10. Hallelujah

**A/N: **_Alright, I'm a little on the update, but better late than never, right?...Right? *insert cricket sounds here* Well then…here it is :) Thanks, as always, for the reviews, alerts etc… People really like Nero, which is great! :)_

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><p>- Chapter Nine –<p>

_**Hallelujah**_

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><p><em>This is what happens when you begin to like humans. They die, and they leave you. They always leave you,<em> I scolded myself. Once, a very long time ago, I had promised myself never to become involved with humans after a particularly dreadful experience where a human I liked died a horrible death because of me. I followed that wise decision for centuries, but apparently all that wisdom drained out of me the moment I met Sookie Stackhouse. All those promises about not getting caught in the tangle of human lives vanished. A _troll _could've done a better job than I had at keeping a promise to myself.

"Nero?" Eric called. "The name has stopped flashing. What does that mean?"

"It means," I said quietly, my voice muffled by my hands which I held over my face in an attempt to hide myself from him. "…that she is dead. When it flashes red and black, it means she can be saved. When it stops, it means there is no saving her. She's gone."

He remained silent as he stood looming over me. It was quite irritating. The stupid blood-sucking bastard had accused me of messing with his money, and yet here he was looking remorseful. Well, I'll be damned if I let him get off that easy. I might be a Reaper, but I am not a thief. I stood quickly, surprising him. I grabbed my jacket, flung it on and marched towards the door. I was three steps away from it when he spoke.

"I'll take you there."

I rolled my eyes, unable to help myself. It seemed quite insane, that one moment he was almost hanging me at the gallows for a crime I didn't commit, then offering to take me to Sookie's. Humph. "It isn't in _Narnia, _Eric," I muttered, though I puffed my chest out in pride that I had correctly remembered the name of the fictional place. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused. Ha. "I can get there myself."

"I would like to take you," he said quietly. He sounded sincere, but Eric was no fool. He could wrap a person around his little finger if he liked. Hm, I could torture him some more, if I brought him along. That might be fun. I was still furious with him. I could take my anger out on him, which made me feel better already. "Nero?"

"Fine. Whatever," I replied curtly, strolling out of his office without a second glance. Fangtasia was, as always, completely packed. I was glad to get outside, smell the fresh air – mixed with booze and lust, of course, because a long line of fang-bangers stood waiting by the door to get in. Eric appeared behind me, looming over me again and putting me back into my bad mood. I got into his car – slamming the door extra hard so that it rattled on its hinges – glaring out the window.

"You certainly know how to throw a tantrum, don't you Nero?" Eric chuckled as he slid into the car, closing his door. There was a faint click as he locked it, trapping me in here with him.

"How about I accuse you of theft, and we see how you like it?" I snapped. "Godric told you 'my kind' were bad, hmm? Well I hardly recall vampires being soft and cuddly, skipping through the daisies."

He ignored what I said. "Sookie Stackhouse lives near Bill Compton yes?"

"How did you know?"

He smirked. "I know a lot of things, Nero."

"Except for who robbed you."

The smirk was wiped off his face, replaced with a dark grimace. "Stick the knife in, Nero. Really."

"Oh trust me, I would if I could, and it wouldn't be a knife I'd use on you, it'd be a stake."

I was careful not to push my luck. Eric was amused by my 'tantrum', as he called it, but if I went overboard, he would not hesitate to let me know. He had fangs. I didn't. We could fight, of course, but being the same age meant I wasn't entirely sure what the results would be. I don't want to scar my pretty face, obviously. I was also angry that Adele had died. She didn't do it on purpose, I knew that, but it still irked me. Sookie should still be having coffee with the lovely Sam Merlotte. I didn't need to tell Eric how important it was that we get there quickly; he was speeding already, the world outside our windows being a blur.

"Tell me Nero, how did Miss Stackhouse know we would be raided by the police?"

I held my tongue for a moment, before deciding to tell him. Bill, the poor guy, would have to tell Eric at some point. As his Sheriff, Eric could force him to do just about anything. "She's a telepath."

I could tell just by how his hands tightened on the wheel. His eyes seemed to glisten, and I knew he was using this to his advantage. Eric was an opportunist through and through. "Ah, no wonder Bill is so keen to keep his human away from us."

"Us?" I snorted. "You mean _you_. I'm friends with Sookie."

"I didn't think you would be one to make friends with anyone, Nero."

"For your information, I am an extremely pleasant, intelligent, good-humoured and wonderful person in general. Why _wouldn't _she want to be friends with me?"

"You forgot to mention how utterly modest you are, Nero."

I blinked, repeating what I had said in my head before I scowled. Like I've already told you, I just know greatness when I see it. It can't be helped. I sat up in my seat, holding my head high, but Eric was just smirking. "Alright," I said slowly. "I'm not a modest person. Sue me. You're one to talk. _Oh, I'm Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5, I'm so high and mighty, no one can beat me!_"

He frowned. "Forgive me Nero, but was that supposed to be _my _voice you were imitating there?"

I smiled despite myself. My impressions clearly weren't as good as I thought they were. When we arrived at Sookie's, I smiled at him again. "You're like my sidekick."

He rolled his eyes, clearly displeased with this. "I would think I would be the hero, and you would be the sidekick if we were in a silly superhero story."

"Oh please! I'm a much better hero. Just look at me."

He glanced at me as we made our way to Sookie's front door. "You don't look like Batman to me, Nero."

"Who? Bat…man?" I repeated slowly.

Eric smirked, smug that he knew something I did. Did he say _Batman_? A combination of a human male and a bat? What kind of hero would that be? Did he hang upside down in caves while waiting for disaster to strike before flying off to save the day? That seemed crazy to me. You might as well invent a superhero like…Horseman or…Lion-girl. It made zero sense to me, but Eric was adamant.

"Wait here," I said, opening the door with what Eric called my 'Scythe'.

"As if I have a choice," he muttered, raising an eyebrow. Oh yes. No invitation, no entrance.

Sookie's house was empty, thankfully. Slowly I walked around, sniffing the air just in case. My skin was tingling just in case I didn't know a soul was around someplace. I got to the kitchen, and there she was. Lying in a massive pool of gleaming red blood. Oh, poor Adele. It didn't look like she had slipped and banged her head. It looked to me as if she had been murdered. By the same killer terrorizing the rest of Bon Temps, perhaps?

But why would he choose a woman like Adele?

Suddenly, I felt something brush against my legs, and I screamed as I looked down at it. I leapt backwards, still shrieking, smashing into the countertop.

"Nero?" Eric roared. "What's happening? Are you alright?"

I put a hand over my heart, breathing deeply for the first time in a while. It was a cat, purring up at me, its eyes glinting. I didn't know Sookie owned a damn cat. It was a grey, small little cat that began licking the blood on the floor. I felt truly sick to my stomach. Not by the fact that it was licking the blood – I was far from squeamish – I felt sick because it had actually touched me. Ugh, I hate them so much. I resisted the urge to shoo it from the kitchen. It leapt onto the counter with amazing grace and licked some of the blood up there, too. Ew.

I realized vaguely that Eric was still roaring. I ran back out to him, noticing he was gripping the doorframe as if trying to _pull _himself into the house. When he spotted me, he relaxed slightly, relieved I think. His eyes searched me as if looking for a wound or a mark. I felt like a fool for screaming over a cat. Woops.

"What happened?" he asked furiously, glancing behind me.

"Oh, it was a cat."

He slackened. "A cat?"

"Um. Yes. I, well, you know I-…" I trailed off, feeling completely embarrassed.

"You're terrified of cats, I know."

I wished a black-hole would open beneath me and swallow me up right now.

"There was one in the kitchen," I said breathlessly. "It rubbed against my legs and I sort of…"

"Freaked out?" he snapped. "I thought you were being attacked."

My eyes lit up, and I smirked. "Oh, worried were you? Wanted to rescue me like Ratman would have?"

"_Batman_, Nero," he corrected. "And as part of our deal, I'm supposed to protect you, aren't I?"

"Hmm, yes. Don't worry. I'm not being brutally murdered. Not today, anyway."

Finding Adele's soul was not hard. She was still wandering around the kitchen, a faraway look in her eyes. She asked me, in a dreamy tone, to look after Sookie and Jason for her too. "He's a good boy Nero, I know he is." Well, this was turning out to be quite a night. Sending her to the afterlife wasn't difficult either. I had done it enough times. I cast a wary glance at the cat on the counter, before I heard a rustling sound. I glanced out the back window of Sookie's kitchen, narrowing my eyes. Was someone out there?

I made my way toward the backdoor, intent on catching this person – if they had murdered Adele, they'd sorely regret it when I found them – but I heard Eric's voice. "Nero!" he hissed. "Come on, we need to go."

I took one more look at the back door, debating my luck. But if Eric was telling me to hurry, then he meant it. Spinning around, I cast one more mournful glance at Adele and hoped she would rest in peace. Poor Sookie. She was in for a nasty shock once her delightful date with the Shifter was over. I wondered if she knew what Sam was. I might have to subtly drop that into a conversation sometime. For now, however, I had a vampire to attend to.

"You would think you were Reaping every soul in Louisiana with the amount of time this took you," he muttered, stepping aside.

I took a deep breath and smiled at him. "Patience is a virtue, my dear Eric. The sooner you learn that, the better."

When we were safely in the car, having locked Sookie's front door and leaving as quickly as possible, I began to watch him closely. I knew Eric was handsome, but I was beginning to realize his personality wasn't so bad either. Sure, he could be an ass at times, but he was funny. He had a dark sense of humour, which I admired. And he knew what he wanted and would stop at nothing to get it. That's admirable. Right?

"What do you plan to do about your money problem?" I asked softly. "Accuse everyone else you've ever come into contact with?"

"I apologized for blaming you Nero. And actually, I was thinking more along the lines of hiring your telepathic friend."

"Sookie? Hm. Bill won't be happy about that."

"You'll be surprised to find I don't actually care about Bill's happiness."

"Eric, stop, you are over-whelming me with your selfless consideration for others," I murmured sarcastically, staring out the window. "You would think that, having accompanied me as I took the _soul_ of Sookie's very recently deceased grandmother, you would stay away while she dealt with her…grief."

"Of course I plan to get her time, Nero. I'm not a complete monster," he smirked.

"If you say so."


	11. Fourth Man In The Fire

**A/N: **_I hear Anna Paquin is expecting a baby! Well congratulations to her and Stephen Moyer :) That's so sweet. _

* * *

><p>- Chapter Ten –<p>

_**Fourth Man in the Fire**_

* * *

><p>Fear is one of the most obvious emotions, when dealing with humans. They tend to sweat, shift their eyes about and stutter a lot. Whereas a vampire can normally keep a poker-face with ease, a human will be unable to control their facial muscles. Quite strange, when you think about it. I suppose Reapers are good at hiding their emotions, too. Well. Maybe not all the time. Like my namesake, I have a thing for the theatricals, exaggerating things and adding a dramatic flair. I mean, if you're gonna do something, do it right. Watching this man Bruce, however, I felt acutely emotionless.<p>

Eric stalked around him like a vulture, quite clearly enjoying the beads of sweat rolling down Bruce's forehead. Eric was sweetening Sookie up like an old pro. I was most surprised to find I was feeling one emotion – a little bit of jealousy. He was acting like she was a gift from Zeus or something. I glared up at the ceiling pretending to be bored out of my mind. Eric stood beside me, his hands behind his back, watching Bruce squirming in his chair as Sookie looked deep into his eyes. Pfft, she's a telepath, so freaking what? I bet there a hundreds, even thousands of them out there somewhere. No big deal.

"He didn't do it," Sookie said breathlessly. I rolled my eyes as Eric nodded like a faithful little puppy before he dragged in a new human. My eyes bulged from their sockets. My Gods, what the bloody Hell was she _wearing_? Have some class, lady, your boobs are practically on show! I felt utterly revolted looking at her, and so turned my gaze elsewhere. Pam gave me a strained smirk, before watching the scene carefully. This woman – Ginger, Eric called her – had fangs marks on her arms, running all along them, as well as some cigarette burns. Ew. This is what you called white trash.

"Ginger, someone's been stealing money from the bar," Sookie told her.

"Really?" Ginger replied, shifting in her set. Suddenly interested, I dragged my gaze over to her again.

The brain-reading Goddess that comes in the form of Sookie Stackhouse looked up at Eric. "She didn't do it. But she knows who did."

I perked up. Bill gave me a dark look, probably knowing Reapers love chaos. I couldn't help myself, really. He's one to talk anyway. Bill might glower and glare in the dark corners of Fangtasia, but he clearly thought he held something over Eric – and that was Sookie with her power. Humph. Ginger looked baffled. "What? Fuck you!"

"Potty-mouth," I sniggered, and Eric glanced at me. He quirked an eyebrow, but I saw his smile.

"Who?" Sookie asked. "Who's gonna kill you?"

Oh, we have a murderer in our midst! How exciting. Right, well, as long as they don't go after me, everything should go smoothly. I would just hate to get blood all over my dress. Or my hair. Everyone knows red does not go with pink. It would be horrendous. I kept an eye on Sookie, watching her shake Ginger's hands as if that would reassure her to spill her secrets.

"Ginger, hunny, what's his name?"

Yeah, spills the beans! I'm dying over here!

"I-It's blank, like her memory's been erased," Sookie stuttered.

"I don't know anything I swear!" Ginger gasped, looking up in horror at Pam and Eric.

"She's been Glamoured," Pam nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. Captain Obvious, as always. I smiled, watching Eric's eyes roam from Ginger, to Sookie, to Pam. Serves him right, thinking it was me. I am a lot of things – none of them very nice – but I am most definitely not a _thief. _

"By a vampire," Sookie whispered. Wow, another Captain Obvious sitting right across the room. I stood up, stretching my weary bones and making sure not to blink. I didn't want to miss a thing. Was something going to happen to what? Trust me, it did. Just seconds later, Longshadow leapt from behind the bar and aimed straight for Sookie. He dived right for the neck, and I inwardly applauded his amazing aiming skills. Had that of been a human, they would have completely missed that.

I appeared at Eric's side, cocking my head to the left as I watched. Should I do something? I felt my pocket, grabbed the List and was unsurprised to see Sookie's name flashing in red and black, meaning she was in what we Reapers called 'Mortal Peril'. Should I call out to Bill, let him know his human is in Mortal Peril? Well, it seems I didn't need to, for Bill being the hero he is, ran to save the damsel in distress. Eric was watching with a rather bored expression. He glanced down at me, smirking. He found this amusing. Glad to see I wasn't the only heartless one here.

I think I was beginning to understand what made me like Eric so much. He was just like me, in many ways. Self-centred, vain, narcissistic, an opportunist. It made me feel like I wasn't the only one in the world who was like this. I had my good points, sure. I could be nice when I wanted to. I liked humans more than the average Reaper. I'm…well… I'm… Oh, shut up. I'm sure I have some good points _somewhere. _I made a mental note to ask Alliyah later what made her like me so much. I could ask Eric, but now didn't seem like the right time, somehow. Seeing as Bill was saving the day and all. Didn't want to take his big moment away from him like that.

Ginger was screeching. I winced, and Pam said, "Ginger, enough!"

Bill, much to everyone's surprise, staked Longshadow with a wooden stake ripped from one of the bar taps. I hadn't seen a vampire staked in a while. It was quite a messy affair. He spewed blood everywhere. Eric whispered, "Try not to look so amazed Nero. One might think you're enjoying this fiasco."

I scowled. "Of course I'm not. Sookie is a friend."

"That might be, but I know you are just like me. You can't deny that."

Had he been reading my mind? Sookie was literally drenched in Longshadow's blood, and going along with this fantastic spectacle, he turned into…well, a bloody pile of mush, really. Then, just to top it all off, Ginger projectile vomited everywhere. I haven't had a night this crazy in a while. Once, in 1432 when I was in Florence, I accidentally sunk a ship. No one was hurt, of course, but it was a blast nonetheless. How interesting.

"Humans," Eric murmured. "Honestly Bill, I don't know what you see in them."

I watched in something similar to bemusement as Ginger fell to her knees – still shrieking and I might add - and tried to put Longshadow back together, failing epically. I wondered if she thought he would magically reform with a smile on his face or something. Bill was in a lot of trouble. I saw the look on his face, one that told me he was thinking the same thing.

"Pam, why don't you go get Sookie cleaned up?" Eric suggested, though it sounded more like a command. Pam nodded, sighing and letting her hands fall to her side as if she had just been asked to do the most difficult and impossible of tasks.

Sookie, in a dazed state, got off the table and almost slid in the blood, gripping the table to steady herself. She made her way towards me, probably in too much shock to realize I wasn't Pam. She was hyperventilating, taking deep, gulping breaths and gasping like a fish out of water. I frowned. "Ew Sookie, you're dripping everywhere, go over there."

Bill looked at me, exasperated. Okay, so I was a little tactless. In her comatose state, Sookie staggered off with Pam. I glanced up at Eric, who was smirking. "_What_ are you smirking at, you big lug? I don't want blood all over me, so sue me! You try getting blood out of pink hair, it isn't easy," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest and holding my head high in the air. He kept on smirking, though he looked at Bill with dark eyes.

"Looks like you're in a spot of trouble, Bill. My office. Now."

"I should get going-…" I began, fully intend on rushing home and spilling all of this to Alliyah. Staked vampires, projectile vomit and bloody telepaths. Sookie's white dress was destroyed with blood. I suppose if she washed it, it would turn pink and she could still get a few wears out of it. Hey, money is tight these days. Eric, upon hearing my intentions to leave, put a hand on my shoulder.

"Come along, Nero. The night is young."

Oh, joy. I followed the two vampires into Eric's office, flopping onto the seat in front of his desk with Bill sitting beside me in the other chair and remembering that the last time I had been here, Adele had died. This made me check my list. Sookie's name had vanished, due to the fact that she had been saved just in time. Lucky girl, she got to keep her soul tonight. Eric, being the sweetheart he is, microwaved a TruBlood for him. He offered to get me a drink, too, so I took a Coca-Cola gratefully.

I was so deep in thought I had blurred Eric and Bill out. A Magister would definitely be involved in this. I hate Magisters as much as I hate any rigid law-abiding bullies. Magisters were notoriously cruel. Then, on top of this, I had Corey to worry about. If I ran into him, I wasn't sure what he would be like. It sort of depended on his mood, I suppose.

The sound of my name pulled me from my thoughts. "Let me put it in terms you will understand, Eric. If it had been Nero Longshadow was attempting to kill, would you have saved her?" Bill asked.

My eyes went curiously to Eric, anticipating his answer. He mulled over it for a few moments, before he smirked. "There are a few problems with that question. Firstly, Nero is quite strong and has good reflexes from her being a Reaper. She would have dodged Longshadow within a moment. Secondly, Nero would not be stupid enough to stake Longshadow while we stood with her. She's too cunning to do something like that in front of us. That would put her in deep trouble with the Magister, Alliyah and probably Death himself." Wrong, I'd probably have done what Bill did. I don't know where Eric gets the idea that I'm so sly. "And lastly, as part of our deal, I am bound to protect her. The fact that she is a Reaper means she is of particular use to me, that is true, but it is not everything."

"So you use her for her knowledge of death."

"Don't play coy, Bill. You are trying to anger Nero, knowing she will throw one of her fits-…"

"Still sitting right here guys." I was promptly ignored.

"…in order to distract me from what is really important. Just because Nero knows about death doesn't mean a thing, Bill."

"Am I suddenly invisible?"

"You don't make deals with just anyone, Eric," Bill muttered, his eyes narrowed. "What was so special about Nero?"

"My dashing good-looks and natural charm, perhaps," I sighed, tired of being ignored.

"How about you stop asking questions about Nero and focus on your own predicament?" Eric smirked, with the hint of a threatening tone in there somewhere. Bill straightened in his chair, giving me a dirty look as if I had caused all this. Prick.


	12. Plaisir d'Amour

- Chapter Eleven –

_**Plaisir d'Amour**_

* * *

><p>Sprinkles, being the demented devil that he is, tried to scratch my eyeballs out the moment I stepped foot in my apartment complex. Shrieking, I fell backwards and landed flat on my bottom, much to the amusement of the towering vampire standing at the door. He was smirking evilly when I glared at him. He watched Sprinkles scamper into the darkness, before he put his hands in his pockets, still smirking. My fists clenched, and I gritted my teeth. He was waiting patiently for an invitation, tapping his foot after a few seconds to let me know just how much time was passing. "Oh my darling Eric, won't you <em>please <em>come in?"

"Nero, it hurts me to think that there was a hint of sarcasm in your tone."

"Piss off."

The Gods must truly be frowning on me tonight, because Maggie appeared in her worn-out slippers, looking absolutely livid. "Ah, I should have known it was you causing all that ruckus, Nero, you little tramp."

"Are you still alive?" I snapped back. "I thought you would have died out when the dinosaurs did, you old hag. Your damn cat tried to kill me again."

"He did? What a shame he didn't succeed."

"Oh haw-haw, you're so funny," I hissed sarcastically. "Why don't you crawl back into your lair and bother someone else for a change?"

Maggie, however, was not listening to me anymore. She was watching Eric angrily, with her beady eyes swivelling up and down. He had been watching us with an amused smirk on his face, as if we were some kind of show, put on just for his own entertainment. When our arguing ceased, he looked strangely disappointed. If he thought I was going to go attack an elderly pensioner, he had another thing coming. If I wouldn't be so obvious. I'd poison her. Much less conspicuous. Eric clearly doesn't have any experience in subtle murders. Tch. _Vampires_. All fangs, no brain.

"Bringing vampires home now, Nero? That's a new low. I might call you a lot of things young lady, but I certainly didn't have you down as a fang-banger."

I glared menacingly, gasping in horror. "Ew. You perverted old bat, he's a _friend_. Eh, bet you don't know what that word means, do you? _Friend_. A person who willingly wants to be around you."

"For you information, I have a lot of friends Nero. I am perfectly aware of what they mean."

"Having cats does not mean you have friends. That makes you a crazy old cat lady."

"At least I don't wet myself when I see a cat. Why are you so afraid of them anyway? Sprinkles has not done anything to harm you."

"'Done nothing?'" I shrieked. "Are you blind, woman? I have Eric for a witness. Tell her, you big lug, didn't the cat attack me?"

"Hmm?" he drawled. "What are you talking about my _darling _Nero?" – ah, he's using my own words against me from before – "The cat merely ran past us. If anything, he was more afraid of us, than we were of him."

"See? Even that monstrosity agrees," Maggie nodded triumphantly. "Alliyah, too, the sweet girl."

"Monstrosity?" Eric repeated slowly.

"All you vampires are," Maggie glared.

"He wouldn't drain your blood if you were the last human on Earth. It would be pure poison," I growled furiously. "Humans aren't so special, you know."

Eric took my hand, and for a moment I was confused, but he was squeezing it harshly, and I realized that he meant to shut me up. I had said 'humans', as if I wasn't one myself, and Maggie knew nothing of Reapers. I bit down on my tongue, fighting to stay silent. Maggie watched us suspiciously.

"You are a strange one Nero. Now get out of my damn hallway."

"_Your _hallway?" I hissed. "Yours?"

Eric clamped a hand over my mouth. "We'll gladly leave. Come along, Nero. We have much to do. Leave the old lady to fester in her own bitterness."

Maggie gasped, opening her mouth to argue with him. He didn't even wait for her to take in some breath, he just lifted me slightly and shoved me in the direction of the stairs. Infuriated, I pounded up those stairs, wishing I could stomp so hard the roof would fall on that bitch Maggie. I swear, the next time I see that cat, I'll rip him to pieces. That is, if I could just get over my fear of cats. Once that was over, I swore to dominate the world and rid it of cats forever. Should I insert an evil laugh here?

"You sure have some interesting neighbours," Eric muttered lowly as we walked into my apartment.

"Hm, peachy. Alliyah?" I called out. No answer. "She's out working, then."

"She won't mind you meeting the Magister?"

"No," I replied in a sing-song voice to mask my lies. Alliyah would mind very much. She had already met him, of course, as Secretary of our Area and on behalf of Grim, and she said the Magister was a very cruel man. Eric raised an eyebrow at me. "Alright, so she'll be a little mad, but where's the fun if she isn't? Besides, I'll leave a detailed note."

"Why don't you just call her?"

"Call her?" I repeated.

"Call her," he said slowly, as if I were dim.

I scowled. "Alliyah is not very good with phones."

"Are you sure it isn't _you_ who is not good with phones, Nero?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I've never seen you use one."

I went to find my jacket, search for my things and get the Hell out of here. "Okay, so I'm not too good with technology. I have a phone. Somewhere. I never use it, though. The buttons drive me crazy."

He snorted. "Do you use computers?"

"Not really."

"I'll have to teach you sometime."

"Oh, I'm so excited," I said sarcastically, finding my jacket and quickly flinging it on.

He smirked. "Do you think Alliyah will be mad with me, Nero?"

"Oh sure she will. In fact, she might just poison you, torture you, stab you."

"That wouldn't exactly kill me though."

"Did I say stab? Silly me, I meant _stake_. Or wrap you in silver and leave you in the sun to get a nice tan."

He grinned cockily. "I'd like to see her try."

We went back into the hallway, and he watched me as I locked the door with a key and flung it in my bag. "Don't underestimate her, Eric. Alliyah might be sweet, but she is ruthless on the inside."

"Like you, then. Just without the sweetness."

I turned from my door, staring up at him and smirking. "You think I couldn't beat you?"

He snorted, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He bent down, our noses inches apart and smirked. "Now _that_, I really would like to see, little Nero." He had the audacity to ruffle my hair like I was some kind of pet he was amused by. "There is nothing you could do to get rid of me."

"Oh yeah? Mr Northman, I rescind your invitation."

His eyes widened a fraction, before he growled and went to grab me. An invisible force began dragging him to the front door, and I waved cheerfully. "What was that Eric? Nothing I could do?" Chuckling to myself, I double-checked the door and followed him, knowing I was going to have Hell to pay. Totally worth it though. Eric underestimated Reapers at his peril. Like a little baby, he stood by his car with his arms over his chest and a deep scowl on his face.

"And you say _I'm _good at throwing tantrums, Eric."

"Get in the car. We still have Pam, Chow and Bill to pick up. He wants to stop at Merlotte's. Say goodbye to his human."

"Get in the car _please_, oh beautiful Nero? Where are your manners?" I frowned. "And who by the Gods is _Chow? _Are we picking up your pet dog?"

"Longshadow's replacement."

"I see you mourn quickly."

"He was a traitor, Nero. I do not mourn for traitors."

"Yeah, yeah. Can we pick Bill up first?"

"Why?" he asked as we got into the car.

"He's hilarious, with all the 'I am vampire, fear me Sookie, I shall drink your blood, I am but a monster, I do not have a soul'," I told him, putting on such a good imitation of Bill that Eric actually smiled. He had a nice smile. It was like it was just for me, because he rarely smiled and meant it. I glowed inwardly. Normally, I couldn't give a rat's ass if I made someone smile, but with Eric…it felt _nice_. And, confusingly, that made me feel…_bad_.

Being nice to another person was strange. Usually – and this sounds bad, I know – I do it only when I need something. I used to charm rich men because I liked the jewellery they could buy. I was nice to people when I was after something, like a new dress or a place to stay when I was soul-searching. Then, along came Alliyah, and I was nice to her because I wanted her _friendship_. And I wanted her to _like_ me, as much as I liked her. With Eric, I wanted him to like me too. Why? I don't even know myself.

"Eric?" I asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think the Magister will be pleased to see me?"

Eric snorted softly. "Oh, very."

"Alliyah said he was a vicious kind of guy."

"All vampires are 'vicious', Nero. I thought you of all people would know that."

I subconsciously rubbed my Mark, feeling slightly nervous. I hadn't felt nervous almost ten minutes ago as I scribbled a note to my roommate. Eric glanced over at me, before looking back at the road.

"You don't have to come with us, Nero. Not if you have other things to do."

"Not if Alliyah's not around I don't. I have no names on the List either, unless you're willing to forget Bill's mishap and take me bowling," I joked.

He smirked. "Unfortunately I cannot forget what Bill has done. I might take you up on the offer of taking you out, however."

"We can go bowling! I've never been," I said excitedly.

He looked at me lazily, frowning slightly. "Do you really think I'd bring you _bowling_, Nero? I'm a thousand years old."

"As am I, but I still like having _fun._ Fine, if you don't want to go, I'll just ask Sookie."

"You're quite close to Sookie, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. Bosom buddies, some would say. I'm waiting for an invitation to hers for a sleepover soon, actually. I hear those are fun."

"Maggie was right, Nero. You really are a strange one."


	13. The Meeting

- Chapter Twelve –

_**The Meeting**_

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><p>If you wondering why I am currently squashed between a pouting vampire by the name of Pam and a man whose name I thought belonged to a dog, then let me kindly inform you that we are on our way to Merlotte's, to say goodbye to the Southern Belle that goes by the name of Sookie. Gods forbid Bill doesn't have a dramatic goodbye with her before we mosey on off to see the Magister. Zeus, strike me now, because I felt suicidal in this damn car. Eric was driving, of course, with Bill sitting in the passenger seat. Pam was uncomfortably close to me – there was enough room for her to push over a little, I'm sure of it – with Chow breathing down my neck. Actually, scratch that. Chow is dead and therefore does not breathe.<p>

"Are we there yet?" I asked.

"For the fourteenth time, Nero, we are _not_ there yet," Pam snarled beside me.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course we're sure," Bill snapped.

Inwardly, I smiled. Vampires are such aggressive creatures, the smallest things set them off. Even jokes about coffins, bats, stakes and meeting the Sun didn't crack a smile. I glanced out the window lazily, humming slightly.

"Knock it off, Nero," Bill ordered.

I hummed louder. He looked at Eric for support, though was trying hard not to smirk. "Nero, sweetheart? Would you mind stopping your humming before Bill wets himself in fury?" he asked in a very false, sweet tone.

I snickered and ceased my humming. Eric looked back at Bill in triumph. Bill glared at him darkly, before throwing daggers at me. I smiled pleasantly at him. That'll teach him for shoving a stake up his ass and taking it out on us. _I _didn't make him murder Longshadow. _I _didn't force him to do it in front of many witnesses, or force him to say goodbye to our favourite telepathic waitress. I suppose he's nervous. Meeting the Magister must be terrifying. I sighed, feeling a little bad for him now. Just a little.

"You should be careful next time you murder someone," I said.

Eric snorted. "Coming from Nero, the most wise and intelligent of murderers."

I shrugged. "I've seen a lot of murders in my time. I should write a book."

"I can't wait," Bill said sarcastically.

"I'll sign it for you, if you want. You know, seeing as we're friends."

"Is that what you'd call us?" he snorted.

"You are being scratched off my Christmas cards list, Mister."

We were silent once more, which irked me. I hate being quiet. It's so boring. When we finally pulled up to Merlotte's, I almost shoved _Chow_ – seriously, Chow, Eric sure knows how to pick 'em– onto the gravel I was so excited to be free of that car. Eric strolled towards the front doors, though I quickly caught up, swiftly making it in the door behind him. Tara – or was it Sara? Sookie told me, but I could never remember – looked up from the cashier, surprise on her face. I beamed at her, wondering if we would have time to stay for a drink.

Apparently, no. Bill came barging in behind us, eyes roaming for Sookie, who I had completely forgotten about. Her hair looked real nice tonight. The girl beside Tara had gone quite pale. I narrowed my eyes at her. Her heartbeat had just increased. She must be terrified of vampires, poor thing. She was pretty, with dark hair and wide eyes.

"Wow, this place is even more depressing than I thought it'd be," Eric murmured. Pam tittered what was supposed to be a laugh, I assume. I frowned. I liked Merlotte's. What was wrong with it? Eric looked down at me, clearly surprised I wasn't as bowled over by his comment as Pam. I gave him a dark look, before glancing back at Bill and Sookie. All eyes were on us, and this left me positively glowing. Well, what do you expect? I've never been one to shy away from attention. Alliyah said I would never be a wallflower, that's for sure.

I walked towards a table, slightly surprised to find Eric following me, watching every single person in the crowd with narrowed eyes. He reminded me of a predator about to attack his completely unsuspecting prey.

"Try to behave yourself," Bill said. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or Eric. Probably Eric. I'm not badly-behaved. Am I?

"Don't I always?" Eric drawled, raising an eyebrow feigning innocence. A group of three men drinking beer smiled appreciatively at me. Humph, drunks. Perhaps it was my pink hair.

Being a totally shameless self-promoter, Eric began handing out his business cards for Fangtasia. He handed me a stack, expecting me to help. I laughed, but took a few just to humour him. Smiling like a good Reaper, I gave them out to anyone willing to have them. A few of the customers looked freaked out, some mildly interested, and others plainly trying to ignore me. I made a point of bending close to those who were clearly avoiding my gaze, putting the card in their line of vision. "I _dare _you to visit," I told one particularly sweaty guy who was shaking in his boots. "It'll be fun! We can dance, if you like."

I think he wet himself.

Oh well, not everyone agrees with vampires existing. That whole 'God hates fangs' and 'God doesn't want him even though I have no way of actually knowing if He does or not as it says nothing about vampires or God's feelings for them in the Bible but I hate them anyway' religious thing the humans have going on. Idiots. Chow went with Bill, much to my amusement. Was he there to protect Billy from the Shifter, should things get nasty? I wondered who would win in a fight. What animal did Sam shift into? I bet it's a cute fluffy bunny rabbit. Or maybe a giant gorilla. Oh, that would be something.

I leaned over to a woman, handing her a card. She actually looked excited. "Thanks, Nero!"

"Sure, whatever."

She kept on smiling at me. I was distracted, however, by Eric. He had just stopped Pam giving a couple of guys a card. The guys who had smiled at me earlier. "He doesn't get one."

"What gives, bro?"

At vampire speed, Eric had appeared in front of him, threateningly close to his face. A couple of people shrieked and screeched in fear. "What did you do to your arm there…._bro_?" Eric hissed.

"N-Nothing…"

"Hm?"

The man quickly put his arm beneath the table, hiding it from Eric's view. Interesting. I hadn't even noticed his bandages. Goes to show how observant I am. Thankfully, Bill came back out with Chow in tow, looking peeved. He strode across the room towards Sookie, who was looking distinctly put out by Eric's actions.

"I take it your business here is done?" he asked Bill. He didn't move his eyes from the human once.

"I came to talk to Sookie," Bill said, rounding on Eric. He watched Sookie carefully.

"I'll give you three minutes. But we have a tribunal to get to."

I almost walked into Eric when he stopped walking toward the door, turning to face the customers once again. "Oh, and before I go…a bit of advice…We know when a human has wronged us. We can smell it." For extra effect, he stared around the room. His eyes met mine, before he looked around again. "Do not make the mistake of letting the pretty blonde vampire lady on television make you feel too comfortable. We may not have retaliated…._yet_. But we know who you are. Have a nice night."

Well, that left me to stand awkwardly for a few seconds. All eyes were on me again. "Yeah. What he said," I muttered, dashing out after Eric. Lame. I should have made a speech like he had. Only, they all think I'm a human. It would never be dramatic as Eric's, because they were all terrified of his fangs and his brutal strength. Plus his size, too. They think I'm a damn fang-banger. Ugh.

He strolled alongside me toward the car again. "They were watching you."

I blinked. "Uh, who?"

"The three men. You leaned over to hand a woman a card, and they were staring at your ass."

"Wow, I hope they got a good view," I laughed sarcastically.

He scowled. I laughed again, nudging him. He glared at me.

"Are you _jealous_, oh mighty Eric, the Viking to beat all Vikings? Do you wish you had been in their position?" I wiggled my bum for emphasis. I didn't miss his gaze moving downward for a moment. "Besides, they were drunk. You know drunken humans. I could go back there and snap their necks, if you'd like."

"I am not jealous. I was merely telling you that they were staring at you."

"Hardly a newsflash."

"You do not mind them ogling at you?" he asked, frowning. Oh, I could totally play around with him.

"Well, I know that guy with the bandages," I lied. "He took me out on a date just two or three nights ago, I think."

"He did?" Eric asked, a little unsure.

"Oh yes. And that man beside him, we had a wild time too."

"The man with the balding hair?"

"Hm. I think so. I really can't be sure, they have just been _so many_," I shrugged, as if I had been with every in Bon Temps. He was silent, glowering at the ground, deep in thought. I burst out laughing. The Viking _was jealous_! I must be a damn good liar, because he believed me entirely. When he realized I was just pulling his leg, he growled beneath his breath.

"That wasn't funny Nero."

"Yes it was, Sheriff Sourpuss, because it proved two things."

"Go on."

"Firstly, you are jealous." He opened his mouth to protest, but I held up a finger. "And secondly, you think I'm some kind of tramp."

"I do not think-…"

"You were willing to believe I slept with a bunch of guys simply because I said so?"

"I never said I believed you."

"Your face said it all. Have more faith in me, Eric. I am more innocent than you think. I have better things to worry about then _men_." Small lie, I tended to think about Eric a whole lot, but he didn't have to know, did he?

"Sookie, for example." She was currently a little busy trying to convince Bill not to go to the tribunal, as if he had a choice. I didn't entirely care about their farewell. What I did care about was how Eric actually felt the need to tell me some guys were checking me out. When you get to a thousand years old, things like that don't really seem important. Three drunken idiots looking at you means nothing.

He laughed a little. "Sure, you're worried. I believe you."

Alright, he could see through my white lie.

But Eric being _jealous _– as much as he tried to deny it – now that felt great. I smiled proudly to myself.

"Tick tock, Bill," Eric called out. Bill sent him a dark glare. After a few more seconds, Eric continued. "And time!"

They kissed.

"Aw," I smiled.

"If I had any feelings, I'd have the chills right now," Pam frowned, clearly deeply disgusted.

"Not me."

"I think it's cute," I said. Chow raised an eyebrow at the couple.

Eric rolled his eyes. "This is pathetic. He is a vampire."

"So he can't have _feelings_? Hm, I wonder if Bill ever gets jealous when some drunk guys look at Sookie."

"I was not jealous!" Eric snapped furiously. "Bill! Now!"

I smiled sadly at Sookie. What if this Magister decided to kill Bill? That would be unfortunate. I did not want to be the one to break that news to little Sookie. I wasn't quite sure her heart could take it.

Tara- Cara, Lara, Sara, whatever her name is – shot me a dark look as we passed. She went to hug Sookie. That made me miss Alliyah, weirdly enough. Don't tell me I'm feeling homesick. Eric opened the car door for me, watching Sookie and her friend with slight disgust on her face.


	14. The Tribunal

**A/N: **_Yo. Well, here it is, a new chapter! Notice I used a line from Terry in this! :) I'm really happy that so many people like Nero, she's kind of my favourite character to write, so it feels awesome. Enjoy! X_

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><p>- Chapter Thirteen –<p>

_**The Tribunal**_

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><p><em>1. Should a Reaper ever attempt or conspire to murder a fellow Reaper, they will be thrown to the witches without mercy. 2. This murderous traitor will no longer be considered a Child of Death, and shall no longer go by the proud title of Reaper. 3. Any Reaper found conspiring with witches shall be duly punished. <em>These, ladies and gentlemen, are just a few extracts from our unspoken rule book. We call them the Reaper Rules – alliteration gives it a catchy ring, don't you think? – and follow them rather religiously. Now, you'll be surprised to find that I've been in plenty of situations where someone is trying to murder me. I know, I know, who would want to murder someone like me? Beautiful, talented, intelligent, loyal. I just don't see why anyone could want to kill me off. Really.

I've had my fair-share of close encounters with all kinds of mutinous murderers, and you'd think those experiences would make me pretty cautious about things. But obviously that isn't the case, seeing as I'm strolling right into the lion's den. Or rather, the vampire's den. Stupid, stupid Nero.

Have you ever found yourself in a Tribunal before? No? Well, let me tell you that it is most unpleasant. A bunch of hungry-eyed, vicious vampires gathered around to watch one of their fellows receiving an excruciatingly painful punishment. Watching one of their brothers or sisters being burned by silver, made to suffer for the crime they have committed, being treated as outcasts. At first, when I walked to this parking lot with Eric, I thought I fit right in. Leather jacket, boots, pretty pink hair. Every other vampire was wearing leather of some kind – even Eric with his boots, Pam with her belt – so I believed I was fitting right in. Until, that is, all eyes landed on me.

Must be my luscious Reaper blood that had attracted their attention.

Eric stood so close to me we were almost like Siamese twins. "Do not return their looks, Nero. Keep your gaze focused firmly on the Magister if you can."

I snorted. "And here I was thinking I'd make some friends."

"Take this seriously," he snapped.

"Alright grandpa, I'm taking it seriously," I replied, equally snappish. I crossed my arms over my chest. Why had he bothered asking me here if he was just gonna give out to me?

We had the most unexpected pleasure of watching a vampire being de-fanged – his screams still ringing in my ears as he was dragged away – only for the Magister to call out for Eric. He paused upon seeing Eric move ahead of me, looking slightly puzzled as to my presence before he called me forth as well. I strolled confidently to stand beside Eric again, just feet away from the Magister. I beamed up at him, keeping my head high. Vampires smell fear, and I was definitely _not_ afraid of some damn vampires. Or their strength. Or their fangs. Or their mutual love of leather.

"My, my. What a pleasant surprise it is to find a Reaper in our midst," the Magister drawled, sitting up slightly. Typical vamp, always trying to get in our good books in the vain hope we will save them from eventual Death. Nice try, buddy. "And what is your name?"

"Nero. Like the Emperor." I gave a sweeping bow, truly dramatic and theatrical. His smirk grew wider, as I had expected.

"What a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman."

"Your Magister, I'm honoured," I replied sarcastically, and Eric pinched my arm from where he stood slightly behind me.

"Like the Emperor, hm?" he asked, repeating what I had said earlier.

"Yes, sir."

"You must be quite old then, Nero."

"It is rude to ask a lady her age," I replied curtly, raising an eyebrow. "Hasn't anyone told you that? You look old yourself, after all."

"Mr Northman, how old is your friend here?"

"A thousand years old," Eric answered automatically, and I glared at him. I understood why he said it though. In the hopes this would appease the Magister and he would quit his questions. No such luck.

The Magister whistled with a bright smirk, playing with his cane and watching my every move. "Well, Nero-like-the-Emperor" – the other vampires snickered gleefully – "we are thrilled to have you here. Tell me, what is it like, being a Reaper?"

"Morbid, of course."

"But of course. I do not see a Mark upon you."

The other vampires ceased their snickering, apparently confused as to what he meant. Most of them would never know what a 'Mark' was. I was surprised the Magister even knew. How had he found out about them? Cautiously, I took a small step backwards, without thinking about it. Showing him my Mark felt like showing him something deeply private that only other Reapers should see. But I did not want to look like a coward, either. I hesitated, looking at Eric for his support. He seemed torn as well. I scowled up at the Magister, making my own decision.

"You are not a Reaper. I refuse to show you it."

From Eric's sigh, this was not what he was hoping for. The Magister raised an eyebrow in what I assume was surprise. "I suppose your Maker taught you your manners."

"Maker?" I repeated, frowning in confusion. "You mean Death himself?"

Many vampires were shifting uncomfortably by the way I spoke so freely of him. Vampires and humans alike share a fear of Death, the thought of ending, of not existing anymore. I, in their eyes, as an embodiment of what they feared most. Even the Magister seemed a little put-off by my blatant words. What did he expect me to say?

"Yes," he said eventually.

"He did not…_raise _me," I said, for lack of better phrasing. "He made me a Reaper. That is all. We do not have Makers, like you vampires do. We make our own way."

"How admirable," he said, slightly sarcastic if I'm not mistaken. "Now. Bring me your murderer."

I had almost forgotten about Bill, and why we were here in the first place. A coffin rolled up to us, pushed by a devious-looking female vampire. I raised an eyebrow. Jeez, only three seconds into Bill's Tribunal and already things are looking bad for him. Unless they wanted him to take a quick nap before his trial. I highly doubted that, though.

"Now, Compton. Explain what happened."

Listening to Bill's story made me tune out for a few moments. I mulled things over in my mind, thinking about my Mark. Subconsciously I began rubbing it beneath my sleeve, beginning to wish Alliyah were here. I felt like a baby crying for his mother in a way, and I felt quite out of place. A Reaper among vampires. My kind did not mix with theirs. It felt odd to be here. The Magister furiously yelled at Bill for murdering one of his own in the hopes of saving his 'pet'. Poor ol' Sookie.

"Tell me Nero," the Magister drawled, getting my attention. "What would happen if a Reaper murdered another of his fellows?"

I glanced at Bill, who was clearly pleading with me to say 'Oh sir, we'd give them a kiss and a hug and tell them not to worry about it'. I couldn't do that though. I also couldn't say that we would be thrown to the witches, because then the vampires would know our weakness. I couldn't have that, either. Only Eric knew about that. His eyes burned holes into the back of my head. "Well, they'd be punished."

"That seems fair, Mr Compton. An eye for an eye."

"Makes the whole world blind," I muttered swiftly.

"Your Magister, Longshadow broke the law first. She was mine and he knew it. He would have killed her and fed from her."

"She was still _human_!" the Magister argued. Ah, of course. Vampires once again thinking they are the best thing to ever happen to the damn planet. I rolled my eyes. "Irrelevant. Happens everyday."

Vampires are staked every _night, _too, but I didn't dare say that out loud to him. Not with this many vampires around anyway. When Bill mentioned how Longshadow was stealing from Eric, the Magister looked interested. His eyes skimmed past me to Eric. "Sheriff?"

In a deep voice, Eric said, "Yes Magister, it's true. Longshadow was a thief and a liar. He was hurting my business."

"It was the human who exposed Longshadow. Tell him Eric."

Whoa, way to put so much pressure on Eric. I scowled at Bill, silently scolding him. Eric seemed to be doing the same, with much more loathing in his eyes than in mine. I watched their exchange, as Eric said, "The only reason the girl was there…was because I called her."

"To protect your wealth!" Bill exclaimed.

"To protect my wealth, yes," Eric continued, glaring at Bill. "Magister, she is…valuable."

Well, there it was again, that jealous feeling in my tummy. I have come to the conclusion in the past few seconds that I am a very jealous person. I liked Eric. In fact, I _really _liked him. To hear such admiration in his voice for Sookie…it was irritating to say the least. I kept my face as expressionless as possible, knowing Pam was eyeing me. I stood tall, too, keeping my gaze firmly on Eric.

"Humans exist to serve us, that is their only purpose," the Magister sighed, leaning his head back on his chair and twisting his cane around in his hand. Oh, that insolent pig! I mean, vampires were technically beneath us in the hierarchy, but I didn't say that they existed to serve _us_, did I? Of course not. Humans were on this planet because they were _supposed _to be, not for the vampires. This idiot really thought himself to be something wonderful.

"There are those among us who think differently," Bill said. Wow, he had some balls to say that. I was quite impressed. I gave him a delighted smile. Eric, however, was looking moodier by the second. He sent me a warning glare, which I ignored completely. I'm not the _precious _or _valuable _Sookie, so therefore I don't have to do anything he says.

With every angry word that came from the Magister's mouth at this, Bill reacted with angry breaths. You know he must be really mad, if he's bothering to actually breath from fury. His fists clenched. I wondered if he would be stupid enough to fight with the Magister. "Bill," Eric warned, and Bill seemed to find himself again.

"Well, you haven't bored me," the Magister sneered. "That works in your favour." I really hated this guy. He made my blood boil. "And you seem to be obedient to your Sheriff."

"For the most part," Eric muttered. I nudged him as Bill glared at him. We might just get Bill off the hook! "What matters, is he is."

"Usual sentence is five years in a coffin chained with silver," the Magister murmured, observing the cane in his hands before watching Bill again. I winced, thinking of how painful that must be. "During which time your body will waste to leather and sticks…you'll probably go insane…However, I'm feeling a bit…creative."

Oh, brother. Here goes. He whistled loudly, and a car rolled up. Perhaps he would take Bill for a 'drive', you know. I glanced up at Eric, who was frowning deeply.

"What's going to happen, Eric?"

"I'm not sure," he whispered quietly. "This is highly unusual."

He was right about that. As the Magister spoke, I became distracted by a noise. The others vampires – Eric included – were too focused on what the Magister said to listen to it. It was, if I wasn't mistaken, a heartbeat. A loud, petrified, thumping little heartbeat. I strained my ears intently, focusing on the noise. It was coming from the car! The trunk, to be specific. Don't tell me there was a human in there. I had a very bad feeling about this.

"You owe us a life," the Magister nodded, and I realized I was very right with my idea.

When a female vampire opened the trunk, a terrified human rolled out. She wore a blue dress, her red hair tied back, and a petrified look on her face. My eyes widened in surprise. This was cruel, even for the vampires. She stumbled and screeched, fell on her behind in confusion and watched us all with wide, blue eyes. I felt a twinge of guilt for her, which I tried to supress. I hate feeling bad. Guilt is a useless emotion. The human was pushed to the ground in front of us, and for a fleeting moment her eyes met with mine. I wished I could tell her that things were not going to end well for her, but I think she already knew that herself.


	15. Shot You Down

**A/N: Diabolus Intra – **_this is Latin for 'Devil within' :) I warn you, this is slightly gory. In my opinion it's not that bad at all, but Nero goes through something painful here! So if you don't really like blood, beware (though if you're squeamish I can't imagine why you would watch TB in the first place lol) :) x_

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><p>- Chapter Fourteen –<p>

_**Shot You Down**_

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><p>Carefully I sneaked into our apartment, shutting the door with painful slowness and making sure it didn't creak in the slightest. I stood for a moment, eyes roaming the room, just in case Alliyah was playing a game of Hide'n'Seek with me. She might just launch out from behind the sofa with a knife bared in her hands, or she might try to strangle me. For all I know, she could be planning a much more painful death for me. Poison, drowning, all sorts of tortuous things… After a few more moments, when nothing happened and I could hear absolutely nothing but the clock ticking, I relaxed a little. "Alliyah? Are you here?" I called out. "Oh c'mon, if you're going to murder me, at least do it now so I can get to bed early. Alliyah?"<p>

Nothing. Well, looks like I'm not going to die just yet. I went to bed – locking my bedroom door in case Alliyah changed her mind and smothered me with a pillow. I slept for most of the day, genuinely tired for the first time in a while. By the time I woke up, it was almost five in the day. Cheerfully I leapt from my bed, and upon finding no booby traps lying in wait or Alliyah with a demented smile on her face in the corner of my room holding a multitude of weapons in her hands, I dressed and went into the living room.

"Alliyah?" I called out again. No response. She must still be out. My note was still there, in my pretty handwriting. Now what do I do? Eric would still be in his coffin, dreaming of stakes and garlic and fangs. I could always go out by myself. I'm an independent un-dead woman, I can do what I like! But…what _exactly _did I want to do? I could head to Merlotte's. Nah, now that I thought about it, I don't feel like it. Ugh, damn me for having dead friends that could only rise at night. Wait, Sookie! She's pretty alive and breathing, as far as I remember! Yeah, I could go visit her for a couple of hours.

I remembered exactly where her house was. Getting there was easy. When I arrived at her home, I got out of my car and glanced around at the woods. Bill would be out there somewhere, buried beneath the earth, with his baby vampire lying beside him. That poor kid, she will be traumatised. Not to mention the fact that I will probably have to get months of therapy for what I went through. All those vampires, their fangs out, growling like that. As I knocked on Sookie's door, I glanced out at the darkening sky. None of the lights in Sookie's house were on. Please say I didn't come all the way out here just to-…

"Pink-haired devil! You! Nero!"

I blinked in confusion, staring at Sookie's door as if it had just spoken to me. I turned around, seeing a woman standing by my car. I squinted, confused as to who the Hell she was. "Yes, that would be me."

"_Diabolus intra_…" she hissed. As soon as she had said that, my skin prickled. The hackles on my neck stood up, and my tummy twisted uncomfortably. Oh, fuck. If you haven't guessed what this woman is, let me tell you she is most definitely a witch. She wore a dark black cloak to hide her face, which is understandable. She doesn't want to take the risk of me recognizing her. Instantly I begin running, leaping from Sookie's porch and pelting towards the woods.

She knows me. She _knows _me! She called me Nero. How the Hell did she know me? I sprinted. It was dark in the woods, confusing me. Bill's house was across the cemetery, but I wasn't sure I had gone the right way. I couldn't remember which way to go. I jumped over a fallen log, taking deep breaths in an effort to calm myself. My eyes darted about, wondering if she had ran after me. Then, another voice rang out.

"Found her!"

That was a male voice. Another voice called out, this time a woman, saying, "Nero, we've got you!" before she cackled. Oh, great. I'm being chased by a demented witch. I spun around intending to run the opposite way, and of course, came face to face with a gun instead. Ever been held up at gun point? Not fun, let me tell you. I was completely baffled. Who were these people? The same ones who attacked Alliyah, perhaps? They must have followed me to Sookie's. Smart witches. I glared at the man holding the gun. He had dark, chocolate brown eyes.

"Hello Nero."

"Hello asshole," I replied. "Hiding behind a gun, are we?"

"Only because your kind are physically stronger than humans."

"Exactly. You are a coward."

"Shut up!" he snarled. "Lily! She's here!"

Lily, the demented witch, came out wearing a cloak similar to the one I had seen, as was the gun-wielding man in front of me. She had long blonde hair, bright green eyes and a wicked smile on her face. In any order situation, she would be a very pretty girl. The fact that she was a witch made me her hideous to me. "_Finally_!" she laughed, clapping her hands in excitement. "We found you, Nero!"

"Congratulations. Though I didn't realize we were playing a game in the first place, _Lily_."

"Oh we've been playing for a while now Nero," the man said.

"And we've won!" Lily giggled.

"You should know I'm a pretty sore loser," I murmured, smiling and biding my time. "How long have you been looking for me?"

"A while," the man said before Lily could even open her mouth. "We've known where you lived for a few weeks, but could never get you by yourself. We even found your roommate a while back, thinking she was you."

I growled darkly. So I was right. They had been the ones after Alliyah. Which meant there were more of them. Lily made her way over to us, still with that bright smile on her face. It reminded me of Sookie's demented smile from the first time I had met her. The 'I'm-just-a-waitress- smile, you know.

"We could just shoot you right now," Lily laughed.

"But you won't."

"Who says so?"

"You want me alive. For your leader."

"We don't care!" she hissed, obviously lying. We all knew it.

"A-huh. Do it, then. Won't kill me."

"That's why we brought a Taser."

My throat tightened slightly. That wouldn't kill me, but it hurt more than a bullet, if you can believe it. I needed to bide some time. "Just the two of you? Out here, to face a thousand year old Reaper?"

"Oh no, M-…" Lily began.

The man shoved her. "Shut up Lillian! Let me deal with the Reaper. That lady is none of your business, demon."

"Calling me demon now? Wow, that'll really hurt my feelings, not the gun held to my head, oh no-…"

"Shoot her Alex!" Lily begged excitedly.

"Alex?" I repeated. "Alex and Lily, how sweet. Are you a couple? Perhaps this is your first date? Really romantic, holding someone hostage."

Despite her obvious excitement, Lily was shaking like a leaf. She'd probably wet herself if I so much as snarled at her. There was an opening in the woods behind the two of them, one I could run through. If I'm lucky, I'll make it without any shot wounds and get back to my car. Unless the leader of this little group is lying in wait for me. I'd have to take the chance.

"So, let me get this straight," I said menacingly, taking a step forward. Lily gripped Alex's arm, and both stumbled back in surprise. "You followed me out here, or at least I assume you did, with your little leader. Then, upon seeing me, she bolts and leaves you here, somehow expecting two inexperienced 'witches', if that's really what you like to think you are, to capture a thousand year old Reaper? Are you two _idiots_? Obviously she wants you both killed. Think about it."

"We _are _witches," Lily growled defiantly.

"Prove it," I replied confidently, crossing my arms over my chest. "Come on then."

Lily looked up at Alex fearfully. I smirked in delight.

"Ah, you see. You're using a gun for a reason. You mightn't think so, but I have experience with witches. _Real _witches," I said, when Lily opened her mouth to protest. "And you know what we did to those witches? We tied 'em up, tied them to a stake and watched them _burn_. Because witches are _evil_. And they were real, too. Not the witches on broomsticks that the fairy-tales tell you. Those witches did not cackle above cauldrons or anything, they caused _real pain_ and used _real magic_. I will not stand by and be taken down by two useless, weak, insolent little idiots who think that because they say some Latin words and wave their arms about, they can rule the damn world."

Lily's mouth opened and closed like a fish. Then, Alex did something entirely unexpected. He shot me. Square in the forehead.

Lily shrieked in horror as I stumbled for a moment. Have you ever been shot in the head? Well, it is most unpleasant and painful. I fell backwards, landing like a sack of potatoes on the dirty ground. The world went black, quiet and silent for a few minutes. When I opened my eyes, I was staring at a dark, inky black sky. I groaned, raising a hand to my forehead only to find it sticky with blood. Dazed and dizzy, I rolled over in the dirt, feeling quite sick. Ugh, why me? I'm just a poor, sweet, innocent little girl!

Well. Mostly.

Lily and Alex were nowhere to be seen. I missed them like a hole in the head – get it? A hole in the head? I actually snorted in laughter where I lay on the ground, giggling at my own joke. I crack myself up. I struggled to sit up, eyes rolling in my head. Ugh, all this just to hang out with Sookie. I couldn't deny that my adrenaline had vanished, and now I was filled with dread. Witches. Here, in Bon Temps. Who would've thought? I'm screwed. And I'm terrified.

Standing up was no easy task. My leg ached painfully hard. I had to be very careful. The world tilted and swayed dangerously, and I stumbled for a moment. Getting to Sookie's house was one of the hardest things I had done in a while. When I saw my car, I hung back slightly, my eyes twitching around to find even the hint of a witch. My skin wasn't prickling, but then again I had just been shot in the head. The bullet had fallen out, I was quite sure of that, but the hole was still there. This would take a while to heal.

I was also sure that no witches were lying in wait for me. My car was still there, intact. No smashed windows or anything. It appears they had scampered as soon as I had been shot. Their leader was gonna be _pissed_. Then again, she couldn't exactly blame anyone but herself for being stupid enough to send those two after me. They probably panicked. I don't think Alex even meant to pull the trigger, he just freaked out. After checking that Sookie's house was still empty, I decided to head to Fangtasia.

I mean, who doesn't want to go to a vampire bar after being shot at? Alliyah was going to freak out when she saw me. Which is why I better clean up before I go home. Unless witches are lying in wait there, too. I'd have to call Alliyah. I don't have my phone on me. Darn. I never really used it anyway. The buttons drove me nuts. There was a long line of fang-bangers and vampires standing outside, with I.D in hand. I limped slightly towards the door, my leg feeling stiff and sore. The whole line of people outside stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. I suppose being covered in dirt and blood, while limping pathetically toward a vampire bar was not something they were used to seeing.

Pam was at the door, and let me tell you, she looked utterly disgusted by my appearance. "Excuse me, where do you think you're going?"

"Pam, it's me, Nero," I muttered, pushing past.

"Nero? What the Hell happened to your face?"

"I'll tell you all about it later. Where's Eric?"

"In his office with Compton and his Child."

"Wonderful, an audience."

I left her where she was at the door, pushing past the crowd with ease. Most of them were jumping away from me anyway. When I got to Eric's office, I knocked twice. His deep voice rumbled back with an irritated, "Enter."

You should have seen their faces when I walked in.


	16. Bullet in the Brain

**A/N: **_Yo'. Well, I'm glad to say I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth and no mountain trolls have kidnapped me recently (one of Nero's biggest fears, as we all know, is running into a mountain troll, like every sane person fears). My only excuse for not having updated sooner, lovelies, is that my internet vanished. Probably stolen by an angry Leprechaun with a vengeance and a bone to pick with me. And that is why you have been deprived of Nero. My sincerest apologies. x  
><em>

* * *

><p>- Chapter Fifteen –<p>

_**Bullet in the Brain**_

* * *

><p>"Nero? My God, what happened to your face?"<p>

These, ladies and gentlemen, were the wildly uncomforting words spoken by none other than Bill Compton upon seeing me with a bullet in my head. Though I had been certain it had fallen out, apparently I was quite wrong. He was starting at me, utterly aghast. Of course, instead of rushing to my aid, patting my hair softly and making me some hot chocolate, Bill decided that staring at me for a good few minutes was more than enough comfort. I wonder if, when Sookie is hurt and in need of care, he is as kind and nurturing towards her. His progeny, Jessica, was looking just as awful as I was. She was covered in dirt and scratches. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought she'd just crawled through a swamp to get her. Her hungry, deprived eyes tracked a drop of blood trailing down my jawline.

"I'm trying a new look, Bill, don't you like it?" I snapped sarcastically. That snapped him out of his staring.

Jessica licked her lips as some blood rolled from my forehead onto my collarbone.

"Hey, you, kid, my eyes are up here," I scowled, and she blinked in surprise. If vampires could blush, she'd be a tomato-red right now. My eyes drifted to Eric, who I was here for in the first place. He was in a complete trance. His fists clenched, his jaw tensed, his eyes unblinking. It seemed as if he had turned into a statue. He said nothing, but Bill stood quickly. He carefully put himself between Jessica and I, perhaps sensing my lack of enthusiasm to become buddies with her.

"Ah, my apologies Nero, let me introduce you both. Jessica, this is Nero. She is a Reaper. A being that takes the souls of newly-dead humans."

That certainly woke her up. Her mouth fell open. "No way! _Fuck_!" she squealed, clamping a hand over her mouth. I raised an eyebrow. She seemed so thrilled at cursing. "My momma wouldn't let me read books about mythical creatures when I was a kid-…"

"Hey, who are you calling mythical?" I asked, mortally offended.

She continued as if I hadn't spoken. "But I used to sneak 'em home from the library. Oh boy, when my daddy caught me reading one of those books about myths, he damn near lost his mind!"

"Wow, Bill, you found yourself a real weirdo. Congratulations on being a daddy to a complete nut."

"Hey! I ain't a nut! I just think you're cool, is all." Her eyes practically sparkled. I had forgotten that she was a new-born vampire, so meeting a Reaper would be simply amazing. Especially when that Reaper is me.

I puffed up slightly with pride. "Yeah, you're right. I _am _cool."

Bill snorted, and I shot him a dark glare. I _am _cool. Cooler than you, Mr I'm-Bill-Compton-and-I'm-going-to-bore-you-all-to-death-with-my-tiresome-stories-about-the-Civil-War. Way, way cooler. Has he ever been impaled, poisoned, stabbed, shot, or hanged at a stake? I didn't think so. "Nero, what exactly happened to you?" Bill asked curiously. Well, as I prepared my riveting story about my adventure that would totally blow Bill's Civil War stories out of the water, I found myself swept off my feet. Quite literally.

It felt as if I were flying. Momentarily, that is, because seconds later I landed on my butt, in a dark and dank dungeon. Eric vanished for all of two blissful minutes, before he returned, looming over me with the most furious expression I had ever seen. "What the Hell happened to you?"

This was not the Eric I was used to, which left me baffled. His voice was more like a rumbling monster coming from deep within his chest, making him sound hoarse. I quirked an eyebrow at him. He could just ask me to explain without all the anger. But I told him anyway, every little detail. Half-way through my explanation, the bullet fell out. I had been certain it fell out earlier, but apparently I was wrong. That was a gross experience, and it only left Eric angrier. By the time I was finished, he was pacing back and forth, clenching and unclenching his fists. "If Compton asks, you are not to tell him the real story. You lie. Do you understand, Nero? Bill does not know what kind of power the witches hold over you, and I would rather keep it that way."

"You think Bill would use that against me?"

"Isn't it best to keep our secrets to ourselves, Nero? I wouldn't call Bill a Saint by any standards. You don't tell your enemies your weakness."

"Wait, wait, wait, Bill is our _enemy _now?" And by the way, Eric had said 'our secrets'. I think it was more _my secret_, as he hadn't told me any of his. I watched Eric pace, and he came to an abrupt stop.

"You'll have to stay with me," he said, not answering my question. My mouth fell open in surprise.

"Excuse me? No I don't. I have a home, if you don't remember."

"Hmm, a home invested with witches. Very smart, Nero. They know where you live."

Well, that did mean I didn't have to deal with the demonic, psychotic cat known as Sprinkles. But this meant another thing for Eric to hold over me – having to _depend _on him, letting him be in control. He had a point that the witches knew where I lived. That meant they knew Alliyah, too, though. I doubt Eric would like both of us raiding his fridge and mucking up his home. But, he _did _offer. "Do you live in a mansion?" I asked curiously. "Or, you know, you could send me to a five-star hotel with room service on hand, if you like."

"You are coming to my home, Nero. We'll call Alliyah, confirm it with her and then we leave. Oh, and Jessica will be joining us."

I gasped in dramatic horror. "Excuse me? No, no, no, no! I just moved in with you, and you're telling me we have a baby already?"

"Compton has decided his interest in his waitress is far more important than being a Maker," he said, with slight disgust in his voice. You see, Eric thought that there was no higher honour than being a Maker. He could never even imagine abandoning Pam the way Bill was doing to Jessica. "I will show her what it is to be a vampire."

"Great. Just fantastic."

"This is for your own good, Nero."

"I hate when you say that. Alliyah always says that. How come _I _don't get to decide what I want to do?"

"Well, Nero, you decided you wanted to go visit Sookie, and you got shot."

"Now that was totally uncalled for."

He smirked, putting his hands in his pockets. "Come along, little Nero, we're going to call Alliyah."

Scowling, I stomped after him. His office was deserted. Jessica probably ran off to attack some poor unsuspecting soul, being a hungry new-born vampire. Or maybe she's palling around with our dear Pamela. Jessica seemed strange to me. She liked to curse, as if it were a big deal. But I digress, I have bigger things to worry about. Like the fact that Eric was looming over me as I called Alliyah. He would hear every word we said.

Alliyah answered on the fourth ring, in a stressed voice. "Yes, what is it?"

"Well hello to you too, Alli."

"Nero? Oh, Gods, finally! Why haven't you picked up your phone?"

"Oh you know I'm useless with that thing, Alli. Plus I left you a note."

"I haven't been home yet. I'm at Plato's. We're under huge pressure, Nero, there have been nine witch attacks on our kind tonight!"

"Make that ten, Alliyah. I was attacked too."

She stayed silent for so long I thought she had hung up on me. But when she finally spoke, her voice was shaky. "Attacked? Are you okay, Nero? Are you hurt?"

I swung back on Eric's chair, putting my feet up on his desk, ignoring the daggers he sent me for it. "Oh, I'll live, I suppose. Probably mentally scarred for life though. Who knows, I might need therapy after this."

She giggled. "You sound like your usual self to me. What happened?"

Again, I had to go through the gruesome details as Eric sat on the sofa, staring at the wall in deep concentration. I watched him for a moment, before staring up at the ceiling. "Eric wants me to stay with him." I could feel his eyes on me. "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"I can't see why not. He was kind enough to offer. And you _do _need a place to stay."

"Aren't you joining me?"

"Are you crazy, Nero? Do you realize how crazy it is here, with all these angry Reapers at Plato's door? The poor kid is swamped. He's only one hundred years old, but he's letting me stay with him while I sort this mess out. If what you say is true, those witches will be watching our home."

"Hopefully they set a nasty trap and Maggie and Sprinkles waltz right into it."

"Keep dreaming," she laughed. "I have to go anyway. Guess who just turned up? You remember Aquila, don't you?"

I groaned just thinking about it. Aquila was a very old, moody, crappy old Reaper who just loved to annoy everyone around her. She absolutely loved to drive me insane at every opportunity. I would most definitely pray for Alliyah tonight, having to put up with that horrid cow Aquila. Sighing, I said my goodbyes and put the phone down. Eric and I sat in silence, with the only sound being the distant drumming of some dance song in the bar. He was staring at the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes were so intense.

"Nero?"

"Mm?" I replied quietly, fidgeting with a figurine of a horse I found on his desk.

"Are you afraid?"

I blinked, switching my gaze to him. "Of the witches, you mean?"

"Yeah."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I had never spoken of real fear with Eric before. It seemed so…_personal_, to admit that I had a weakness in front of a guy like Eric. He didn't seem to fear anything at all, only get angry about it. Maybe _that_ washis way of showing his fear, by pacing and becoming furious, like he did earlier. He knew I was afraid of witches, but I think he wanted me to admit it, to say it out loud so he knew for certain.

"Yes. I'm afraid. I agreed to be a Reaper to avoid death itself. But I don't want to die. I think that's why I fear witches so much. They can really kill me, Eric. I mean, I've been shot, impaled, hanged, stabbed and poisoned. But it doesn't kill me. They can end me though. I have this…this fear of _ending_, I suppose. Because if you're not around, people begin to forget you. They promise to remember you, and maybe they'll try, but I've known too many people to believe that everyone can be remembered."

He was watching me carefully, as if unbelieving that these words were coming from my own mouth. He probably thought I didn't think about these things, that I joked so much because I wasn't '_deep_' and that I was totally unfeeling. "You think people would forget you, Nero?"

I nodded solemnly, preferring to watch the horse figurine I twisted in my hands rather than look at him, because it hurt to admit it. It stung me, deep within my heart, to tell Eric such a childish thing as this. "If you were an important Emperor or a philosopher or someone who invented something important that we still use today, then the world remembers you and they read about you in their history books. But what about the people I knew, who were incredible and yet no one remembers them?"

"Isn't it more important that _someone _remembers them, even if it is just one person, Nero?"

"When you put it that way," I shrugged.

"I never realized you thought that way, Nero," he murmured.

"You didn't think I had anything to be afraid of?" I snorted.

"No. I knew you feared witches. But I didn't think you feared death."

"Kind of ironic, isn't it? After all, I deal with him everyday."


	17. The WitchHunt

**A/N: **_I am on holidays, if you did not know, and therefore I am busy desperately trying to obtain a tan and failing miserably. Another reason why I am so late updating, I know, but it's true! Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Sixteen –<p>

_**The Witch-Hunt  
><strong>_

* * *

><p>Have you ever read the tale of Snow White? If not, it basically involves a young girl with a spiteful step-mother who tries to murder her. Cheerful as this all may sound, her step-mother fails and Snow White – is that even her real name? If so, what in the name of Zeus were they thinking when they came up with <em>that <em>name? – rushes into the forest and finds herself lost. Stupidly forgetting that she shouldn't have ran in there in the first place as she has no idea where to go and unfortunately forgetting a convenient map to guide her, she finds an old house. Without worrying about being arrested for breaking-and-entering, she enters said house and rudely makes herself at home. Just as she begins to wonder about her predicament, some dwarves show up. Yes, really. Seven of them, to be exact, and lo and behold, the enchanting Snow White befriends them.

Forgetting that it is uncommon to befriend burglars who break into your home, the dwarves allow Snow White to live with them, and blah, blah, blah, the stupid girl eats an apple from a stranger. I don't remember the rest of it. Knowing fairy-tales, there was probably a dragon, a daring prince and a hideous witch or something stupidly generic like that. That's the one good thing about those tales – the witch is usually caught and suffers a dreadful end. My favourite part. You are probably asking yourself this very question: _Why on Earth are you telling me about witches in fairy-tales, Nero?_

Mainly because witches are far easier to find in those stories than they are in my life. Of course, should some creepy old bat with a weird cloak on offer me an apple, I'd rudely laugh into her face, because that's the kind of person I am. But Snow White – the graceful, bumbling fool of a young girl – takes the apple. I only wish that witches would wear those ridiculous cloaks everywhere they went, in order for me to find them easier. I had begun to watch the television, which is filled with crappy things that numb my brain. Stupid, orange-tanned women with blonde hair waltzing around and flashing their cash – among other things, if you catch my drift – and even more irritating high-pitched voices. So, here I was, watching Snow White and feeling suicidal. Living with Eric was hell. He had _rules, _and by now, dear reader, you know me well enough to realize I _hate_ being told what to do. Especially by a damn _vampire_.

"Get your boots off the coffee table Nero," Eric muttered as he appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, _mom_," I replied through gritted teeth.

"Why are you watching a kid's movie?"

"Can't remember my childhood, thought I'd catch up."

"Television didn't even exist when you were a child. _Electricity _didn't exist."

"So what?"

He sighed. "You're impossible."

"And you're irritating."

"I agreed to let you live with me in order to help you. Don't make me regret that decision," he growled, appearing in front of me and blocking the damn television, just as the witch appears to give that dumb princess a poisonous apple. Didn't anyone ever tell her not to take anything from strangers? Idiot.

"You could always kick me out."

He opened his mouth, before slowly shutting it again. He growled and stalked off, muttering something in Swedish beneath his breath. Triumphant, I returned to see Snow White passing out like the weakling that she is, snorting when the dwarves hurried to her rescue. See, if I were going to kill someone, I'd do a lot more than just give them an apple. If you're going to poison someone, at least put some effort into it. Sighing, I reclined on the sofa and smirked. I had no names on my List, either. Some girl called Amy had died from strangulation, but Alliyah dealt with that one. Poor kid.

"Nero, it's almost dawn."

"You have impeccable skills when it comes to telling the time, Eric."

He rolled his eyes as he walked in front of me and sat on the coffee table. Oh what, he can put his bum on the coffee table but my boots are too dirty? Ugh, _men_.

"What are you going to do?"

I blinked in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean, Eric?"

He clasped his hands in front of him. "I mean, how do Reapers normally find witches?"

"That's a tough one. Depends on luck, really. I could ask around Bon Temps, find out about Lily and Alex. I could always ask Sookie."

Eric nodded, but frowned. "There could be a lot of people here with those names."

"Best shot I have."

"That seems stupid."

"What?" I asked, confused once again.

"Visiting Sookie."

"How so?"

"You were shot last time you went out there."

"Oh…yeah. But I have to _try _Eric."

"Why don't you wait until I can go with you?"

We remained silent, simply staring at each other. I suppose I hadn't really given the vampire chance. I mean, we'd been living together for four hours and with Jessica swarming with teen angst upstairs in her 'bedroom' – at least, hers until Bill came back for her, if he ever did – Eric was my one true companion. Oh yes, Jessica was simply thrilled now that Pam had given her blood. Fresh blood. She stopped throwing daggers at me and now seemed to want to be my friend, mostly. Eric stood up, as did I.

"Fine. I'll wait 'til tonight."

Maybe Eric wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p>Upon opening her door, I recoiled in horror at the sight of Sookie's face. With all the care and sensitivity of Bill Compton, I immediately said, "Christ, Sookie, you look like road-kill."<p>

Eric, always the looming presence behind me, chuckled darkly. Sookie didn't even giggle. Not one little bit. She looked full of doom and despair, if I'm perfectly honest, even in this dark light. She had this swelling on her cheeks, as if she had been punched and a lot of bruises. In a very low voice, so low that only a vampire with sensitive hearing would hear, I whispered, "At least she doesn't have a hole in her head." Again, Eric chuckled, and Sookie looked murderous. Wonderful, this is going to be a delightful visit!

"May I come in, Miss Stackhouse?" I winked.

She eyed me suspiciously, before her gaze drifted to Eric. He was smirking. "You can, Nero. But he can't."

"Why not, Sookie?" Eric drawled, looking highly amused.

"I don't like you, that's why."

"She's blunt," he smirked. "I see why you like her, Nero."

I elbowed him in the ribs, but he didn't even flinch, only kept smirking. "Of course Eric will stay out here Sookie. He's an angel, I promise. He won't cause any trouble, isn't that right Eric?"

I glanced up at him hopefully, searching for the halo that should be glowing around his head. Unfortunately, I could only imagine pointed horns, for his smirk grew wider and he raised an eyebrow. "Of course, Nero. Anything for you." And then he vanished into the night. What a bloody show-off, he couldn't just _walk_ to the car, he had to fly off. Although he probably went to visit Bill, who would no doubt regal him with weary stories of his human life. Ugh.

"Come on in, Nero. What brings you out here so late anyway?"

"What, a Reaper can't visit a dear telepathic waitress in the dead of night without it being _suspicious_? I have to have ulterior motive to see my favourite pal in the whole wide world?"

She rolled her tired eyes and shut her door quietly, trailing after me. I entered her kitchen. As odd as it sounds, it still smelled like Adele. A warm, baking sort of scent that made you feel comfy the moment you stepped inside. "Really, Nero. I'm kind of tired."

Sookie's cat appeared on the counter, and I hissed at it. Again, Sookie sighed wearily and picked that damn demon up, before bringing her into the living room and leaving her there. Good riddance. Upon returning, she sat at the kitchen table and looked at me intently. We stared at each other, with only the clock ticking in the background. "So," I began awkwardly. "How have you been lately?"

"Wonderful. I was attacked by Drew Marshall."

I ran the name through my mind. "Uh…who?"

"He went by the fake name Rene, he was the one who murdered my Gran and all those other poor women."

"Wow, sounds very…" I trailed off, unsure of what it really did sound like. _Exciting_ hardly seemed right. "Morbid," I finished moments later. "But you'll be glad to know that I am here to ask for your help, my beautiful friend, and therefore I will be in debt to you. Like I am to Eric."

She raised an eyebrow as if I were insane. "_My_ help?"

I sat in the chair in front of her. "That's right little lady. Out of all my telepathic buddies, I chose _you_, because you mean the most to me."

"You don't _have_ any other telepathic friends."

"That's beside the point and you know it."

"If you're going to ask for my help Nero, I'd prefer if you did it before the sun rises," she said tiredly, rubbing her eyes and frowning at me.

"Well, okay. To be quite blunt, I was recently shot by two people named Alex and Lily. They were witches. As you very well know, I do not like witches – or cats for that matter – and I need to know if you recognize those names at all."

Sookie seemed baffled momentarily. "You were shot?"

"Mm. Don't worry though. I don't die from that."

"But it must have hurt like Hell Nero!"

I shrugged bravely. "Do you know the names or not?"

"What was the girl's name?"

"Lily."

"Well, I know of a _Lillian_."

"Yes, yes!" I grinned excitedly, sitting up in my chair. "Can you tell me anything about her?"

"She has blonde hair, she's pretty I guess. She lives with her brother Max, dating a guy called Alexander White-…"

"Yeah, that's the girl!"

I was almost falling out of my chair, my eyes as wide as saucers. This was easier than I thought it would be! Sookie _knew _her.

"Where does she live?"

"I don't know."

Oh. Dang it. We had been so close. "Do you know anyone that would?"

She thought about it again. I wondered why she didn't accept Bill's blood, in order to heal her face. Unlike me, Sookie was human. If she was shot, she would die, she wouldn't heal like I would. Eric had been keen to give me his blood, another power thing. Perhaps Sookie felt that way with Bill. She wanted to heal all by herself, without his help.

"I could ask around at Merlotte's. Sam or Holly might know," Sookie shrugged.

"Thank you Sookie! I'll be by the bar in around two or three days then. If you need for me anything, just ask. I owe you now."

"Don't mention it," she replied, sounding exhausted.

"I hope you feel better Sookie," I smiled, standing and actually hugging her goodbye.

"Nero…what do you plan to do to them if you really find them?"

"Burning them alive is illegal as far as I recall, but I could find a way around that-…"

"Nero! No, you can't do that!"

"So they're willing to shoot me and murder me, but I cannot do the same to them?"

"It's totally different-…"

"How? Are you saying that my life isn't as worth as much as both of theirs?"

"Of course not."

"Sookie, to be honest, Alex and Lily mean nothing to me. It is what they _know _that I want. Find them, find the head witch, who I will murder with my own bare hands for laying a finger on my Alliyah. So, let me give you my number. If you hear anything truly important, call me and I'll find you pretty soon. Bye, Sookie. Thanks for your help."

"Sure thing."

I stood triumphantly on her porch once she locked the door, watching the stars in the sky for a moment.

"What did you find out, Nero?"

Eric, one for the dramatics, appeared behind me, leaning into my ear. I made sure not to jump in surprise, because I had already heard him landing. Sneaky vampires.

"We're one step closer, Eric!"

And we didn't even have seven dwarves to help us, just a plain old telepathic waitress.


	18. The Conspiracy

**A/N: **_Once again, please refrain from forming an angry mob with pitchforks to chase me down and brutally murder me for being so late on __**another**__ update, let me explain – I had a bit of writer's block. Then the idea came to me and here I am again :) Apologies! Oh, and I feel like I should also apologise when it comes to Wal-Mart. As soon as you read this, you will understand that I am not going insane or anything, I just mean that there are no Wal-Marts at all in my country, but I'm sure what I've listed is the stuff they sell, haha. Sorry about that. But I needed to pick somewhere, and this was it! x_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Seventeen –<p>

_**The Conspiracy**_

* * *

><p>Like all great adventures, mine began at Wal-Mart. Yes, as I skulked through the aisles with a moody, angst-ridden teenager at my heels, I spotted a very familiar, hideous Reaper in my midst. It was <em>Ursula<em> – and if you just screamed in horror and disgust, I do not blame you, dear Reader, for she is simply _dreadful_. They do not come worse than Ursula. She is my nemesis in every way, and to find her strolling through Wal-Mart like she owns the place made me grind my teeth. I hid behind a tower of toilet paper, watching her closely as she bent over to check the price of milk. "What a bitch," I murmured darkly. I had came here to pick up TruBlood for Jessica, but of course I just had to run into Ursula.

Jessica, forgetting that she is supposed to be pouting because I won't allow her to bite any humans, bumped right into me, almost ruining my cover. I couldn't care less if Jessica drained the entire human race while my back was turned, but I was wearing a white dress, and if she got any blood on me, there would be Hell to pay. Do you _know _how hard blood is to get off? Almost impossible. She raised an eyebrow at me as I shoved us both backwards, just in time to avoid Ursula spotting us. "What the Hell are you doing, Nero?"

"See that woman right there Jessica, the fat cow?" I asked.

She followed my gaze. "The really pretty woman in the red shirt?"

I glared at her. "_Pretty _is not a word you use when describing Ursula. She is living proof that dinosaurs once roamed the Earth. Look at her wrinkles." Actually, Ursula was younger than me and had a completely smooth complexion, but Jessica didn't need to know this. "Ugh, it should be illegal for her to walk around without a bag on her head. Christ, I think my eyes are burning in their sockets just looking at her."

"You're freaking me out Nero, who the heck is she?" Jessica frowned.

"Oh, we used to live in the same Area together. Until she got me moved here, that is."

"Moved? Meaning you didn't do it willingly?"

"Oh yes, obviously if I were to go anywhere in the world Bon Temps and Shreveport would be my first choices," I muttered sarcastically. "No, I got moved here so Alliyah could keep an eye on me. Grim knows we work well together. She is the only Reaper I have lived with and not scarred in some way."

"You lived with Ursula then?" Jessica asked, following me stealthily as we tracked Ursula. Ursula turned around without warning, so I grabbed Jessica's neck and practically slammed her to the ground at top speed, crawling on my belly. As we lay on the cold tiles, I noticed an old granny staring at us, her mouth wide open. Oh, well. Who cares if she thinks we're crazy?

"Nah, I was lucky enough to never live with Ursula. But we had to work in the same area, so we bumped into each other every now and then. The last guy I lived with was called Henry, and he was a pig too. I just got into a fight with Ursula one time, broke almost every bone in her body, you know? That's what Reapers do, when they don't like each other. They fight. Ursula is much younger than me. It would be like Bill fighting you. He's much older and stronger. He probably wouldn't need to beat you though, he'd just regal you with stories about the Civil War and bore you to death."

Jessica giggled. "That's so _fucking _cool!"

Did I forget to mention she still has a deeply disturbing fascination with curse words?

I climbed up, checking that Ursula had not seen us. No, there she was, her hair bouncing on her shoulders as she glanced at products in an aisle. Ugh, _look _at her. Pretending to be human. How annoying.

"Are you alright, ma'am?"

I turned, peering at the old lady who had shuffled toward me. She was one of those stereotypical grannies, with the bent-back and cute lilac cardigans. The kind of Gran who listens to music made by people you have never heard of and constantly tells you stories about how life was 'back in her day'. Kind of like Bill Compton, actually. "Uh, yes, thank you."

"Just I saw you and your friend fall on the floor," the woman frowned. "I thought you had hurt yourselves or something."

"She dropped her purse," I lied smoothly. "Just helping her find it. Nothing to worry about."

"Alright then," the old lady said warily, shuffling away. Jessica got to her feet, staring behind me. Have you ever seen those horror movies, where you just _know _the monster is behind you, but you can't bring yourself to turn around? I was currently in that position.

"I thought I saw pink hair floating behind that tower of toilet paper, Nero, but I never thought I was lucky enough to bump into _you_ here," a voice murmured, and I just knew Ursula was behind me, grinning.

"Hello Ursula," I smiled falsely through gritted teeth as I turned to face her. Repressing the urge to vomit as I looked at her face, I reached behind me and pulled Jessica to my side. Ursula glanced at her up and down.

"Babysitting new-born vampires now, Nero? Hm. How unfortunate. A Reaper of your…_talent_ being reduced to this," Ursula sneered. Ugh, kill me now.

"Hey!" Jessica exclaimed, clearly offended. She thought Ursula was pretty, and perhaps she was, but I knew the _real _Ursula.

"Oh don't worry Jess, Ursula and I go _way back_. Hey, Ursula, remember that time I broke your bones? Wasn't that a _blast_?" I asked cheerfully, though she noticed the threat beneath my false tone. Heck, even Jessica realized that.

"Yes, I can recall you having a jealousy and anger problem alright," Ursula murmured thoughtfully. "Then again, you were never very good at reigning in your emotions, Nero. Tell me, is Alliyah regretting the day she was insane enough to agree to let you live with her? 'Cause I know if I had to deal with your hot-headedness and your tantrums everyday, well, I'd be suicidal."

"Hm, what a pity, perhaps you should chat to Grim and ask him to do the honour of ending your life as a Reaper for you then. And, for your information, Alliyah and I get along just fine. Thanks a bunch, you insensitive hag."

Jessica's mouth was hanging open. I suppose she was totally baffled and surprised by the way Ursula and I passed hurtful and insulting comments like this as if we spoke only of the boring weather outside. She doesn't realize that I have known Ursula for almost five hundred years – which also happens to be Ursula's age – and therefore know exactly what she is like. She is cruel, manipulative, horrible and just plain awful to be around. Simple as.

Ursula didn't even blink. "Sure she is. Alliyah is just a _Saint_, after all."

I bared my teeth automatically in a snarl. "You're damn right she is. And if you think otherwise, why don't you speak your mind, or are you afraid of what I'll do?"

Ursula laughed loudly, though I saw her eyes flit to my teeth and back to my eyes again. "Afraid of _you_, Nero? Please, I have bigger things on my mind right now."

"Which reminds me," I said suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"

"That's _my_ business. Why don't you ask your precious Alliyah? I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you."

"Come on Jessica, we're leaving," I growled, grabbing her wrist and dragging her with me.

"Bye, bye, Nero! See you soon!" Ursula sang behind me. "Enjoy living with that Fangtasia vampire."

It was only as we got to my car that I realized something – I had never mentioned that I was living with Eric. How had she known that?

* * *

><p>"Wait in the car."<p>

"But I want to-…"

"Jessica, I might not be your Maker, but I swear to Zeus I will break every bone in your body like I did to Ursula if you even _try _to step out of this car. Understand?"

"Whatever."

I grabbed her shoulders tightly as we sat in my car outside my apartment complex, looking deep into her eyes. "Jessica, I am going to ask you to do something very important for me, alright?"

She took in my serious expression, my dark eyes and my frown, before she nodded slowly, looking a little nervous. "Yeah…Yeah, okay."

"You can drive, can't you?"

"Sure."

"Well, if you…if you hear anything coming from my apartment, anything at all, screams or laughter, _any _sort of noise, I want you to leave immediately. And if you see anyone walking past, you leave too."

"What?" she asked, half-laughing, half-disbelieving.

"I mean any noise at all. Just trust me. Something is wrong here, I know it. You just have to understand. Ursula knew I was living with Eric. She called him the _Fangtasia vampire _though I can't understand _how she knows. _Ursula is supposed to be in Chicago, another Area completely, so what was she doing here? She must have been to my apartment, she must know something I don't. Which is why we're here. I'm going to look around, but if someone should be there and something happens, I want you to leave immediately. I don't care if you hear someone singing a bloody lullaby, you leave. Got it?"

She nodded silently, but as I got out of the car she whispered, "You will be alright, won't you Nero?"

I grinned cockily, putting my hands on my hips. "Please, Jessica, don't underestimate me. I'll be just fine."

I slammed my door shut, strolling to my apartment with my hands in my pockets, not thinking of what could lie in the shadows around me. Well, I was doing this mostly for Eric's safety too. Ursula had been here, I just knew she had. How else would she have known I wasn't living here anymore, that I was with Eric?

Opening the main door to the hallway, I cast a glance at Maggie's door. It was ajar, surprisingly. I expected her to be lying in wait for me, after all. Curious, I stepped forward, knocking twice. In all the time I had been here, her door had never been left like that. Then again, this could be a trap. The witches might have kidnapped her, though why they would ever want an old hag I don't know. Hopefully for a human sacrifice or something.

"Maggie, are you there?"

No angry tone greeted me. No cat flew from the darkness to claw at my face. I pushed the door open a little more, peering in. The whole room was in disarray, with papers and books lying all over the place. Frowning, I walked right in. If the witches had been here – as I suspected they had – had they murdered Maggie in the process of trashing her place? What if they got the apartments wrong and thought this was ours? Maggie might have been hurt because of us. And Sprinkles, for that matter. Quite surprisingly, I felt a pang of guilt. I picked up one piece of paper, seeing that it was a bunch of symbols I didn't recognize. All along the walls were sheets of paper held down by tacks, and I walked around the room slowly, reading each one. Near the fireplace, a sheet of paper with a list of names was tacked to the wall.

_**Area Five**__ – Alliyah – Cato – Erastos – Caius - _ _Maxima – Regulus – Nero – Remus. _

Oh, no. It wasn't just any list, it was a list of the oldest and strongest Reapers in our area, including me. Of course, I understood exactly what it meant. You see, if Alliyah were to die – I dread even thinking about it – Cato would become the next Secretary. Then, if tragedy were to strike again and Cato were to die, Erastos would take over, and so on. If it came to Regulus dying, I would become the next Secretary, though I doubt I'd accept such a job. I'd hate that much pressure on me. If you haven't noticed, I'm a little lazy. I'd probably pass the job onto Remus, who was next in line to the title.

I would have to warn every Reaper on this list that they might be in grave danger, more so than we first thought. Though why would the witches be killing Reapers in order of our status in the hierarchy? They wouldn't gain anything if we all died. Grim would simply find other Reapers to take over for us (which shows how deeply he feels for us). I suddenly remembered Jessica was sitting out in the parking lot, probably growing more edgy by the moment. I ripped that list from the wall too, deciding I would figure this out with Eric instead of standing here, where witches could waltz in at any moment. I didn't bother checking my apartment – they had probably trashed that too.

Jeez, all this just from a trip to Wal-Mart.


	19. The Warning

**A/N: **_I just watched the latest season five episode, it was__** freaking amazing. **__I mean like, wow, I have never been so excited for a new season after watching that! Eric was awesome! The question is; Nero or Nora? Haha, btw, do you think I should do a Season Two of this? Can you imagine what Nero would think about Steve and Sarah Newlin, as well as the rest of the FOTS? X_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Seventeen –<p>

_**The Warning**_

* * *

><p>"<em>Even at our birth, death does but stand aside a little. And every day he looks towards us and muses somewhat to himself whether that day or the next he will draw nigh."<em>

**- Robert Bolt**

* * *

><p><em>But for some, murder is the only door through which they enter life…<em>

I was sitting in Eric Northman's living room with Tom Waits playing on the radio, thinking deeply. The witches were causing me more problems than I cared to think about. Ugh, why can't it be like Snow White where they simply offer me apples instead of working from within the shadows? Speaking of apples, I was currently throwing one up and down in my hands, chewing my lip as I considered my options. Did I mention Eric is furious with me? Oh yes, as soon as I told him what I had done, he broke a glass. In his hands. Which then dripped with blood. Clearly Mr Viking is unused to people ignoring his orders. I hadn't meant to upset him so. I simply wanted to end my witch problem. I had two options; close my eyes and pretend none of this was happening, or gather all of the Reapers on that list together and warn them. I would much rather pick the first option, but I think we both know what I have to do.

Sighing, I glanced toward the kitchen, where Eric was slamming a cupboard door shut so hard it sounded like it fell off its hinges, fixing himself a TruBlood. "Eric?" I called out. '_Be ready to dodge flying glasses, Nero_,' I thought to myself. I could hear him trailing in here, obviously not too enthusiastically.

"What?" he snapped.

"Oh quit acting like a baby," I muttered, sitting up on the sofa and crossing my legs.

"That's rich, coming from the Reaper unable to follow rules and authority."

"I know, I know, I'm dreadful, going straight to Hell and all that, but right now I have to ask a favour of you."

"A favour? A _favour_?" he repeated, incredulous. "After you disobeyed me?"

"Look, Eric, I am not Pam. I am not your Child. I have this wonderful thing called freewill, even if I sometimes use it stupidly. But you must remember I am a thousand years old. I really can handle myself."

He glowered, flopping into the sofa across from me. "What kind of favour?"

"We need to call those Reapers. Bring them here. Warn them," I said simply, throwing the apple to him. He caught it with ease, flinging it back. We continued like this even as we spoke, at lightning speed.

"Is it a smart idea to bring them here?"

"Well why not?"

"Are they dangerous?"

"Hey, just 'cause they're my friends does not mean they are dangerous," I argued.

He smirked. "Right, of course. I forgot what an angel you are, dear Nero."

"If I'm honest, there is one we have to watch out for. Cato. Worst temper in the world."

"Fine. But I don't entirely agree with this."

"You never like my ideas anyway," I frowned.

"Mm. I wonder why that is – you usually do stupid things like visiting Sookie and getting shot, or walking right into your old apartment knowing full well you could be caught by witches for doing so."

"Survived both of them, so I don't know why it's such a big deal," I shrugged.

"Whatever. Go call your _friends _Nero, I'm just dying to meet them."

"Try not to break any glasses while I'm gone."

* * *

><p>I don't suppose I've ever really told you about those Reapers from that list – you know, Cato and Erastos and the others. Well, I have suddenly decided that warning you in advance would be a wonderful decision, if only it should give you a little advice on what to do should you find that any of these fine beings happen to be your very own Reaper when you die. Firstly, I should hope that if you get any Reaper in the world, it is not Cato when he is in a bad mood, because you will find that Death doesn't seem so bad when faced with an angry Cato. Oh yes, Cato is famous throughout the Underworld for his temper, which can strike at any given moment.<p>

Perhaps you accidentally trip and bump into him – he will yell at you for a good twenty minutes before he punches you and storms off. Or, you might be wearing an odd pair of socks, which might displease him – he will rip your socks off and probably force you to eat them. Cato also has a giant, red raw scar on his neck. He said that his throat was slashed right open when he died. It had healed – badly. Meaning he still has a jagged, vicious mess on his neck that he doesn't usually bother to cover him. Yup, Cato is a cheerful guy.

Next, you have the lovely Erastos, who is more subtle than Cato. He is the 'quiet one' – and you know what they say about the quiet ones; they're always the worst. I've heard quite a few stories about my buddy Erastos, enough to know that messing with him is a death sentence. Apparently, a couple of hundred of years ago, a human insulted Erastos' intelligence (though I can't understand why, he's the smartest guy I know) and so, in his fury, Erastos cut out the man's eye. Another guy to watch out for. Certainly, if you die and you find he is your Reaper, be very nice and tell Erastos that his pal Nero thinks he's super smart. Otherwise, you might find yourself losing an eyeball. Even in death, that is not something you want.

Who is next? Ah, yes, Caius. Nice guy, I suppose. A little bit…demented. The kind of guy you wouldn't be surprised to find stalking you in an old, dark and abandoned parking lot. Yup, Caius is tall, blond and creepy. Not the kindest of descriptions, but I digress. After Caius, we have the beautifully badass Maxima. You know, the name Maxima tends to mean big, and she certainly is. I'm not poking fun at her – if I did, it would be the last thing I ever do – but Maxima is quite hefty. And she knows how to use that weight. To crush you, put bluntly.

Oh, and now we have the perfect, wonderful, handsome, funny, intelligent and witty Regulus. I'm practically swooning just thinking about Reg. If I were to pick any other Reaper to live with other than Alliyah, it would be Regulus, if only to ogle him all day long. He is, in simple terms, beautiful. He has that wolfish thing going on, and he's the same height as Eric. He has black hair, usually slicked back, and deliciously golden eyes, with perfectly tanned skin. Hot, hot, hot. Next on the list is me.

Yes, beautiful, charming, charismatic, that's me in a nutshell – but you already know all of that.

And lastly, there is Remus. Ah, sweet Remus. Now he's the nicest guy of the bunch, apart from me of course. As timid as a mouse, our Remus. He's a thinker. Kind of like Erastos, in a way. Without the vicious, violent side underneath it. Wonderful, so there you have it, the hierarchy of Reapers in our Area. And right now, they are all sitting in Eric's office, looking quite sullenly at me. I nudged Eric, forcing him to give a small bow and a smile. He looked as if he were constipated, unable to keep the frown from his face upon seeing all these strangers in his office. Cato sits on Eric's desk, being the biggest and tallest guy here. Another thing about our Cato is that he has to be in control. Always.

It's nice to see his scar is even more pronounced than usual tonight. Maxima once told me she died of a stab wound, which she still has in her back. Quite literally, she was stabbed by her ex-best friend. Makes for an awkward conversation. Even if it was a few hundred years back that she told me, I always wondered if she really did have a scar or not. Her Mark is right beneath her left ear though, which I can clearly see. Regulus is lounging on the sofa, looking as glorious as he always does. When Eric sees me drooling at him, he nudges me to make me focus. Actually, that nudge was quite harsh. Jealous, is he?

"So, kiddo, why are we here?" Cato asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Eric glanced at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. I shook my head.

"Well, as you all know, I was recently attacked by witches. They shot me in the forehead, which really hurt to be honest. I'm lucky to still _have _a face, actually-…"

"Ah, worried about her pretty face being damaged by the hags," Caius murmured, and everyone but Eric and I cracked up laughing.

Maxima wiped a tear. "Oh, Nero, still as vain as always. Well, what is it the humans say? A leopard never changes its spots?"

"Wow, hilarious Maxima, I almost burst a lung laughing so hard," I scowled. "For your information, it is not about my 'pretty face'. Your lives are all in danger too. After what happened to the witches, Eric was kind enough to allow me to live with him for protection-…" I bit down hard on my tongue, wishing I could slap myself. I had just openly admitted I was with Eric for his _help_. Well, you should have seen Cato's face light up.

"Did I just hear right? Do my ears deceive me? The great, the _wonderful_ and _all-powerful_ Nero is bowing to a _vampire_?" he roared with laughter. Even Erastos was smirking. Oh, Zeus, how I wish I could be dragged by a couple of demons to the Underworld right now. I would rather have a mountain troll come bustling through here than have to put up with Cato's malicious glee.

"So what if she is?"

The room fell silent. My shocked eyes roamed to Eric's face, feeling myself growing weak. He just spoke back to Cato. Cato himself seemed shocked into silence. "What did you say, vamp?"

"Please, Cato, don't fight with him," I said, and Cato's eyes widened even more as he stood up.

"Wait a minute. Erastos, I must have lost my mind. Are you all hearing what I am hearing?"

I rubbed my hands over my face as if to hide myself. If I were human, I would be blushing a bright red now. I was defending Eric. Eric looked baffled, watching each Reaper as if he wanted to be in on this big joke. What he doesn't know is that I never, ever stick up for anyone else unless it is Alliyah. I don't usually _care _about anyone else but Alliyah. But I like Eric. I like him a lot.

"Nero, my sweet," Regulus grinned, and Eric's eyes snapped to him with a certain kind of loathing. "I have never heard you say _please _before. How…interesting."

"Let me just check one thing-…" Cato smirked, before he launched himself across the room, slamming me into the wall behind me. My head banged against the concrete, and for a moment I was certain I saw stars sparkling in front of me. I'm quite sure it was only Regulus' beaming smile however. A trickle of blood ran down my chin, and I quickly sucked it up, glaring into Cato's vicious eyes. And suddenly, he was gone. Flying across the room, slamming into Eric's desk. But he was _laughing. _The entire table had cracked beneath his weight, and I stared at Eric in shock.

He was crouched slightly, his fangs bared. "What the hell do you think are you doing?" he growled.

Wiping blood from his forehead, Cato grinned and said, "Like I said, I was just checking something. Nero loves the vampire. Just making sure."

"Mr Northman, do you realize what a position you are in?" Regulus purred delightfully, obviously enjoying my mortification. "Our little Nero has never defended another being, especially a _vampire_."

"Shut up," I growled angrily. "Now listen to me. Forget Eric, forget what I feel about him or even think about him. The witches are after you and if you don't want my help, _fine_. You can leave. I hope they tie you all to a damn stake, and maybe then you will realize I am trying to _help _you. It is your choice."

Cato wiped another spot of blood trailing from his nose, smiling wickedly at Eric. "Alright. We will listen to you, Nero."

"Good."

"Nero is in_ l-o-v-e_…" Regulus sang, and Remus snickered.

"With her little vampire boyfriend," Cato chuckled.

"Shut up!"


	20. The Unexpected Visitor

**A/N: **_Wee-hey! Another relatively quick update from yours truly. Yup, I'm trying my hardest to not be such a lazy layabout and update as fast as is possible for me. Which isn't truly all that fast. But whatever, I'm trying! :) A little short, but I should be updating soon again! _

* * *

><p>- Chapter Seventeen –<p>

_**The Unexpected Visitor**_

* * *

><p>Though it may surprise you, Emperor Nero never truly got on with his family. I suppose the fact that he murdered his mother, supposedly poisoned his younger step-brother, executed his first wife and brutally kicked his second wife to death just goes to show how much he despised family reunions. As I sit wedged between Cato and Maxima, I can understand perfectly <em>why<em> he did what he did. Of course, by all technicalities, I am in no way blood-related to anyone in this room. Thankfully. I am only joined to them by the bond of being Reapers. Which is pretty much, in Grim's eyes, the same as being family. And, boy, did I hit the jack-pot with these guys. Obviously, I'm pouting like crazy with my arms crossed over my chest, venomously cursing the day Cato had his throat slashed and became immortal, because he is currently becoming best pals with Eric, the stupid vampire bastard.

"Oh, I have never met a vainer person than our Nero," Regulus grinned smugly, slinging an arm around my shoulder and shaking me. "Why, she once left Maxima to kill humans as she did not want any blood on her white dress. I am correct, am I not Nero?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I huffed, shoving him away.

"And that _temper_," Caius whistled. "Once, Remus here suggested that Nero must have been very masculine for Grim to name her after a _man_."

"Oh really?" Eric grinned wickedly. "And what happened?"

Remus sighed sadly. "She cracked all of my ribs and tried to strangle me."

"You deserved it you insensitive little pig," I growled. "Can we _please _get back to the task at hand?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake Nero," Cato snarled suddenly. I could have sworn I felt my heart skip a beat – impossible, since it didn't even beat at all – because I thought I had crossed a line somehow and he would try to kick my ass again. My poor ass did not need another beating! But, instead, he pulled fifty dollars from his wallet and handed it straight over to Regulus, who was smirking like the cat that got the cream. Or rather, the Reaper that got his money.

Confused, I asked, "What was that for?"

"You see my sweet Nero," Regulus exclaimed. "While you were busy babbling about witches, I made a bet with Cato that you would say the word 'please' again. He believed you wouldn't, because you are Nero and manners are not something that exist in your little world, but I was right. Every time you say please, he must give me fifty dollars."

"It only counts if she doesn't do it on purpose," Cato growled gruffly, scowling.

"You…You're making _bets _onme?" I screeched. "And you only used fifty dollars? Is that all I'm worth?"

"Hark, Nero is throwing a tantrum!" Caius grinned.

"What a surprise!" Maxima said.

"Not like she hasn't done _that _before," Remus snickered.

"Why do you all pick on _me?_ You're all bullies. Irritating, cruel bullies."

"Cry me a river Nero, and perhaps then I shall care," Cato smirked. "Now. We have had enough fun for eternity. To the topic of witches."

Oh wow, _I _ask kindly to discuss witches and instead they poke fun at me. One word from Cato and they shut up instantly. Humph. Assholes. The door to Eric's office swung open, and as if my night couldn't get any worse, there stood Ursula. I saw Cato's eyes dash toward me, knowing of my deep hatred of her. His smirk seemed to grow even more.

"Ursula," I stated flatly. "What a horrible, unwelcome surprise. What brings you here?"

She rolled her eyes. "I have come to see you by order of Alliyah, Nero. She is waiting for you outside."

"Outside?" I repeated. "Why doesn't she come in here then?"

"I didn't ask her. She is my elder, I cannot refuse her."

I stood, stretching. Aha, I caught Eric's eyes drift to my midriff that became exposed. Check me out, grabbing the attention of a hot vampire. What? Eric _is _hot. He might be an absolute bastard at times, but damn, he knows how to work a leather jacket. With a slight bounce in my step, I followed Ursula. Alliyah was probably going to murder me after she found out I went to the apartment. Actually, scratch that, she _will_ murder me. No doubts about it. Well, I hope she gets it over with quickly. Dying takes up so much valuable time. Ursula strolled behind me, almost reluctantly.

We stood in the parking lot together, in the dim light coming from the street lights.

"What are you all discussing, Nero?" she asked, motioning back at our fellow Reapers.

"Whether or not rabbits fully comprehend the complexity of evolution," I lied smoothly, and she rolled her eyes again.

"Why do you always have to ask so stupid?" she replied angrily, clenching her fists.

"What? You think that because they are _rabbits _it means they do not think like we do?"

I watched with inward delight as she grew angrier. "I asked you a damn question, Nero. Answer me. Is it about the witches?"

I blinked, swallowing a lump that had risen suddenly in my throat. "I don't know what you mean."

"Well, turn around and you might."

I did as she said, and found myself immediately Tasered. Of course, I fell like a sack of potatoes on the ground as I had done when I was shot, letting out a weak grunt of pain. Inside, it felt like every fibre of my being was on fire. Ouchie, ouchie, ouchie. That _really _hurt. I drew blood on my lip from biting down so hard on it. I received a sharp kick to my side, realizing dimly that it was Ursula. Oh, hell. We had a traitor on our hands. A traitor amongst Reapers is extremely rare. If you betray your own kind, Grim sees no reason for you to live any longer. Your life is worth absolutely nothing to him.

"Finally. I've been waiting to do that for a long time, Nero."

A small, incoherent noise escaped from my lips. Now, I'm not particularly violent, but I wish I could have her murdered as quickly as Emperor Nero could. Oh man, if Cato could only walk out here, I would be _saved_.

"Uh, is she supposed to bleed that much?" a timid voice asked. I knew that voice. Alex.

"Oh don't worry. Reapers and electricity do not go well together. She will be in great pain for quite a while, but do not fear. There is much more to come."

Glaring down at me stood Maggie. And standing beside her was her demon spawn of a cat, Sprinkles. He watched me lying on the ground, and flicked his furry tail back and forth. I hate witches. I really, really hate witches.


	21. The Death of a Loved One

**A/N: **_Ta-da, I'm back! Yup, here we go again. Enjoy readers! x_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Eighteen –<p>

_**The Death of a Loved One**_

* * *

><p>I suppose you are thinking that, due to my immense age and incredible intelligent, I have already devised an ingenious plan to save both myself and my friends from the dreaded witches. Well, you'd be wrong. In fact, I can't seem to focus on anything but the deafening ringing in my ears. Dimly, I was aware of someone trying to catch my attention. I felt chains tying my wrists together, though I couldn't recall anyone putting them on. From the sweet scent, I was certain it was the witch known as Lily. I wondered if they would shoot me again. Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad, seeing as my entire body was tingling with pain. I felt myself being lifted to my knees. Someone grabbed my hair and pulled my head back. I opened my eyes, and even the dim orange light from the street-lights burned. I could see Eric. His fangs were out. I suppose he could smell my blood a mile away and had probably heard my scream. He looked very, very mad. Even angrier than Cato, who stood right beside him.<p>

"…you traitor Ursula!…we were wrong to ever trust in you," Maxima snarled. I could hear her, yet I could not see here. Hey, maybe while I was out for a few seconds she somehow became a ghost. I've seen crazier things. Ursula stood in front of me, with her hands on her hips and a triumphant look on her face. I locked eyes with Eric. He mouthed something. I never caught what he was trying to get at, because Ursula used the Taser on me. I don't think I've ever screamed so loudly in my life. I choked a little, bending over on my knees and feeling blood dribble from my mouth. '_You wait, Ursula_,' I thought bitterly. She knows exactly what happens to the so-called Reapers that betray their own kind.

"You would dare to use that weapon on your own kind?" Cato roared, clenching his fists and taking a threatening step forward.

"Oh yes, I would, _Cato_," Ursula snarled, saying his name as if it were some sort of joke she found amusing. "And I am willing to use it on you, too. But first, we have a Reaper to kill."

Eric growled loudly. "No! I will not let you kill Nero!"

Ursula smirked. "Whoever said it was Nero we would kill? You see, _vampire_, Nero is not afraid of death. Sure, we're not what'd you call _best friends_, but I know her well enough to know that she cares about one person only. Well, besides you, apparently."

My stomach dropped. She could only be referring to Alliyah. I was proven correct when I heard scuffling, the sound of a door slamming open and then shutting again. Alliyah was thrown in front of me, blocking my view of Remus and Regulus, who were watching this entire exchange with horrified eyes. I knew Erastos was using his brain to try and think of some way to help us, I could practically see the gears churning in his mind.

"Nero, being a dear friend of mine, hurt me very badly as you all know," Ursula said.

"Oh so she got into a fight with you, so what?" Regulus snorted. "Get over it."

"She humiliated me!"

"Nero humiliates everyone," Cato replied. Right, well. I can only assume that was supposed to be in my defence. Thanks, Cato. What a pal. "She never _means _it. Consorting with witches is punishable by death, Ursula. Every Reaper knows that."

"Sure Grandpa, I remember," Ursula exclaimed bitterly. "But these witches agreed to help me get rid of all of you, beginning with Alliyah!"

"Wow. Smart," Erastos crooned. "And when we're gone, you become the Secretary of Area 5. My, Ursula, what will you do with all that power?" His tone was clearly sarcastic, and Ursula didn't like it.

"So what if it's just one area, Erastos? You don't know everything! One Area is just the beginning!"

"What do you think Grim will do, hm?" Remus asked. "He won't notice his Secretaries dying in every Area and you taking over."

"I will deal with that later. First, Alliyah."

"Alli?" I whispered.

Her eyes were shut, but she said, "I love you Nero, okay? Don't forget that."

I felt my heart clench. It mightn't beat, but it still felt pain. "Don't say that, don't make it sound like you're giving up!" I hissed, attempting to nudge her. She winced. Stupidly I realized she was covered in blood from the neck down. Had they…tortured her? Desperately I looked at Eric, silently begging him to do something. His eyes darted to the witches around us. Their numbers had thinned dramatically. Only fifteen stood around us, but they began chanting.

Ursula pulled a dagger from her pocket, twisting it in her hand. She approached Alliyah. I struggled, growling at Ursula. She looked me right in the eye, kneeling down. "This is for humiliating me," she hissed. She plunged the knife into Alliyah just as the witches finished their chant. At first, nothing happened. Alliyah stayed blinking, refusing to give in. Even the witches looked around in confusion. Then, just as I felt like laughing in Ursula's face and telling her she was a complete _idiot, _Alliyah closed her eyes. It felt like slow motion. Like in those corny films I watched on Eric's television, where everything seems to move a mile a minute, and there is some really slow, dramatic music in the background.

"Alliyah!" I screamed, and all havoc broke loose.

Maggie appeared in front of me, beginning to chant. I felt the chains tightening on my wrists, my mind becoming blank as all I could hear was her voice. Suddenly she stopped, being grabbed by Eric. I blinked, coming to my senses. He looked at me, as if for permission. I nodded weakly, and before Maggie could sprout some more magical crap, he had snapped her neck with ease.

Sprinkles the cat snapped at Eric's ankles, but he was quick to kick the cat away. I can't say I was particularly saddened when I spotted him lying motionless on the ground. Cato appeared behind me, ripping away my chains and yanking me to my feet. It took a second for me to adjust to my own weight. He steadied me, surprisingly gently. "I'm sorry, Nero," he whispered into my ear. It sounds strange, I know, but I didn't feel like I was really _there_. All I could do was stare at Alliyah. _My _Alliyah, who was now dead. The one being I would willingly die for.

And, as I watched my one true friend lying on the ground, I felt a burning hatred within me. I mean, I had always hated Ursula, but this was _intense_. I wanted to rip her to pieces, burn her alive and make her feel all the pain I was feeling. I saw Lily and Alex, clearly trying to make a break for it, running towards a car. I clenched my fists, racing after them. Of course, being a Reaper, I appeared in front of their car within a single moment, blocking their escape.

"Leaving so soon?" I asked huskily, my throat burning.

Lily stumbled slightly as Alex yanked her back by her shirt. "N-Nero-… It wasn't supposed to b-be like this!" he said quickly.

"Oh? Tell me Alex, what _was _supposed to happen?" I asked as I slowly strode toward him. "Were we going to have a little party, hm? Was Alliyah supposed to die, or was that an _accident_? Really, humour me."

"I-It was Ursula!" Lily shrieked in a shrilly tone. "She…She said if we got rid of the Reapers…we would have move power and-…"

"That's funny. It doesn't seem to be working out that way, you know."

Lily cast a petrified glance at her fellow witches who were being ripped to shreds, particularly by Cato who was in his element.

"You remember what I said in the forest, right? About how my friends and I have dealt with _real _witches, don't you? I don't know, maybe your memory is foggy. It shouldn't be, seeing as I was the one who was shot and yet I remember perfectly clearly. I also remember thinking that once I caught you guys again, I'd kill you both without a second thought. I'm afraid that is exactly what I'm gonna do, and boy I hope you get Cato as your Reaper when you die."

I considered letting them go, you know. They were young. And very, very stupid. Lily is sweating and I think she might wet herself if I take one more step. Alex, well, he's trying to appear strong and unafraid, carefully putting himself between Lily and I. He clearly isn't sure what to do. Protecting Lily is what he would _like _to do, but he isn't stupid. I'm a thousand year old Reaper. I could eat him alive if I wanted to. But I don't. I sag a little with defeat. I know Alliyah wouldn't want that. I just know it. Now I'm fighting with myself. I feel like slapping myself. Ugh, why am I having a mental breakdown _now _of all times?

And then, as if my emotions couldn't get any worse, I burst into tears and sank to my knees. I want my Alliyah back. My heart seemed to ache, as if it were being weighed down. I want her back! Surely Grim can do it somehow? Alex looks at Lily warily, baffled. I tugged on my hair and sniffled. I felt a hand on my back.

"N-Nero, we're sorry! We never meant for it to go this far!"

I shrug Lily away. I feel furious, and yet I can't bring myself to stand up and murder her with all the rage that I feel deep in my heart. It isn't fair. Alliyah might have been two thousand years old, but she did not deserve to die. I punched the concrete parking lot, creating a deep dent. I felt an arm around my shoulders, which I thought was Lily at first.

"I'm here, Nero," a familiar voice murmured into my hair. Eric.

I sobbed into his chest, uncaring of who was watching. Normally I just hate to be seen crying like this. It felt _weak_. I don't know if Lily or Alex ran. I don't really care, either. I could feel Eric's chest rumble as he barked orders at Cato, telling him to make sure Maggie was completely unconscious. Have you ever felt as if you were floating, far away from everything else? Like you had forgotten what reality was, and so had built your own? Maybe it's just me. Maybe in the past five minutes – the worst five minutes of my life – I had lost my marbles. Maybe it was better that way. Eric is surprisingly good at comforting people. I felt warm and safe, still crying softly. I had mucked up his shirt, but he didn't seem to care much.

"She's gone Eric," I whispered.

"I know."

"What am I gonna do?"

"We can figure it out later. You're bleeding Nero."

"Who cares?" I muttered. I'd heal anyway.

"I do. What will happen to the traitor, Ursula?"

"Cato will probably take her to Grim. After all…he's next in line for the title. It's his duty."

Reapers don't have funerals. If a Reaper dies, it is up to Grim. I don't want to know what he does. I just hope Alliyah goes somewhere safe and clean, you know. Somewhere nice. If Heaven exists, then Alliyah deserves a place with the highest of angels. I had no idea what to do with myself. Alliyah was my best friend – scratch that, my _only _friend. Although Eric was being very kind to me. I kissed him on the cheek, surprising him. Despite my tears, I saw him smile slightly. He hugged me tighter, and I buried myself into the crook of his neck.

"Thank you, Eric."


	22. The Reaper Woes

**A/N: **_Well, this story is almost over, but I'm quite sure I'll do a Season Two, seeing as I like Nero so much. This is an entirely Eric and Nero chapter, too. Yay for Eric! :)_

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><p>- Chapter Nineteen –<p>

_**The Reaper Woes**_

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><p>You would think that being a worker of Death would make me immune to it somehow; I'm afraid it's quite the opposite. I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, wallowing like I always do when I'm sad. I am so very rarely sad that when I am, I'm never quite sure what to do with myself. My curtains were closed, I had no lights on, and I ignored everyone for an entire day. Which wasn't exactly difficult, seeing as I lived with two vampires who could only rise at night. I dreaded Eric coming to visit me. He had seen me at my weakest, and I hated it. Cato is now Secretary of Area 5. It hurt, deep inside, to know how dispensable Alliyah was to Grim. She died, and within two hours we had a new Secretary. It was like no one remembered my Alli anymore. I decided that caring for another being was entirely stupid of me – I promised myself a few hundred years ago not to do it, and yet here I was. Crying like a baby because my closest friend had died.<p>

I stay like this until the sun goes down. I can hear Jessica rise in her bedroom, and muffled voices. It looks like Eric is awake. He walks around the house for a while. I hear the phone ring. The front door slams shut. I bet Eric's sent Jessica to Fangtasia. Smart move, now he has me to himself. Within two minutes of the door closing, I hear the stairs creaking slightly. My door opens. The light from the hallway burns, seeing as I've been sitting in the dark all day. Eric's outline appears, but vanishes when he closes the door behind him. "Nero? Cato called. He said Grim had taken care of Alliyah."

"Good, I suppose." I feel the mattress sink as Eric sits at the end of my bed. "I've always hated funerals. They depress me."

"Really?"

"Well. Actually, I've never been to one, but I know enough about them."

He lay down on the bed beside me, surprisingly slowly as if he didn't want to scare me. I kept my eyes on a very small dent on the ceiling, wondering how it ever got there. I'd rather think of that little dent than of Alliyah. 'Taking care of her' was Grim's way of saying he had simply gotten rid of the body. How, I don't think I want to know. We stayed silent for a while. Eric is good at comforting people. He knows he doesn't have to force me to say anything, and that I will talk when I want to. Instead, he'll just be with me. For as long as it takes. At least, that's what he said in the car on the way home.

Home. I just called Eric's house my _home_. I sure as heck can't call my old apartment home now can I? Not when it was infested with _witches_. As if reading my mind, Eric asked, "Do you want to stay here, Nero?"

I didn't make any jokes or pretend I didn't want to. "Yes, please," I whispered quietly.

He nodded. "Of course. I'd like it if you stayed with me."

I don't know if he was being nice because he felt bad for me, or if he genuinely wanted me here. I can't see why he would. I've been wallowing in my own self-pity, a talent I have acquired over the years. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek, though I hadn't meant to cry.

"It feels weird, Eric. It's like I'm missing something," I said softly. "Have you ever felt that way?"

"Yes," he replied. "When I lost my family."

"Oh. Does it go away?" I asked.

"Not for a while. Even now, I find myself missing them. But you learn to cope with it. You have never lost anyone before, Nero?"

"No. At least, not that I can remember. Hey, do you think I was an Empress of some sort?" I asked excitedly, rolling over in the bed to face him. He copied me, now grinning.

"An _Empress?_" he repeated. "What makes you think that?"

I snorted. "Just _look_ at me. How can this-.." I motioned down at myself. "…not be royalty, huh Eric? I mean, I bet I lived in a giant palace and had a thousand servants."

"Wouldn't someone had noticed a missing Empress when you died, Nero?"

"Well, sure. If you and I searched in the history books, I bet you we'd find a whole section dedicated to _the Missing Empress_."

"You have a very vivid, frightening imagination."

I scowled. "It could be true."

"What if you were a servant?"

"A servant? I don't think so."

"Cato was not kidding when he said you were vain."

My smile fell away slowly. Thinking of Cato reminded me of his new position. Hence, I was once again thinking of Alliyah. Eric frowned, noticing my giddy disposition had vanished suddenly. He sighed, leaning closer to me. He put an arm on my waist and began drawing soothing circles on my lower back. He rested his head on mine. "Nero, you're strong. You will make it through this."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered into his chest, closing my eyes. "I don't feel like it though."

"Nero, I knew that from the moment I met you. Godric told me so."

"He did?"

Eric nodded. "Godric has always admired you."

"But when I came to Fangtasia to make this deal with you, you said he called 'my kind' sneaky and warned you not to trust us!"

"I might have paraphrased slightly. He admired the Reapers for their secrecy and loyalty. How strong you all are. Intelligent. Devious. I simply changed it in order to annoy you."

"Wow, you're a real sweetheart."

"You weren't exactly kind about vampires either, Nero."

"I'm never kind."

"Yes you are. You let Alex and Lily go," he protested.

"Because I was in the middle of a mental break-down you nitwit," I snapped. "I don't care what they do as long as I never see them again. Eric, do you mind if I ask about your family?"

He sighed, and I wondered if I had made him angry or upset. But he smiled a little. "No, I don't mind. My father was a Viking chieftain, and he wanted me to be the same. I was a little more…preoccupied with women-…"

"Nothing has changed," I grinned, and he glared at me sternly.

"As I was saying, he wanted me to find myself a wife. But…I wasn't interested. And one night, my parents and my younger sister were murdered. As he was dying, my father made me King. He made me promise to avenge him and my family, Nero. Which I plan to do."

"Do you know who murdered them?" I asked quietly.

He stared into my eyes. I almost thought he wouldn't tell me, that he didn't trust me enough. "Werewolves."

My jaw dropped. "_Werewolves?_ Why?"

"That is what Godric and I were trying to figure out when we met you during World War Two," he said.

"Hey, wait a minute, you didn't want to get married?"

"Not at the time."

I grinned. "Ah, but you would like it now?"

He shrugged, copying my grin. "Who knows? I'd have to find a wife first."

"Hm. Good luck with that."

"What? You think I couldn't? Nero, I have humans throwing themselves at me whenever I enter Fangtasia. Any one of them would be _grateful _for a moment of my time, let alone marriage."

"And they say _I'm _the vain one."

"Not vain. Just honest," he smirked. "What about you? Would you like to be married?"

"I've never really thought about it," I replied truthfully. "Marriage isn't a big thing for Reapers. We so rarely find someone we like. How about we make another deal?"

"I'm listening," he murmured.

"In a thousand years, if neither of us are married, we marry each other. Deal?"

"What if I don't like you in a thousand years?"

I laughed. "Oh shut up Eric, of course you will. No one can resist me."

He raised an eyebrow, and I smiled up at him. I felt a little better already. He had a point when he said Alliyah would not like to see me sad. But just because she didn't like it didn't mean I wouldn't feel it anyway. What do they call it? _Grief._ You have to mourn someone. I had all eternity to mourn her. A bit of teasing and joking around with Eric wouldn't just make this crushing feeling my chest vanish all of a sudden. And he knew that, because he grew silent again.

"I don't like this feeling," I frowned.

He glanced at me. "What feeling exactly?"

"I don't know. Like…a sort of hopelessness, you know? As if Alliyah will walk through that door again, and when she doesn't it hurts all over again. My chest feels as if something is weighing down on it."

"Well that's sadness, Nero. It means you miss someone you loved," he said in a voice that made it sound as if it should be completely obvious to me.

"I don't think I've felt it before. Of course I haven't," I said, chuckling slightly. "I've never bothered to care about anyone like I did for Alliyah."

"You will heal, Nero. You grief, and you learn to cope with it. I did. Perhaps you should go back to not caring about anyone else but yourself, huh?" He nudged me, clearly trying to make me smile. I was treating Eric like a damn therapist, but it sure made me feel better. I laughed weakly, but couldn't bring myself to plaster on a smile. Instead, I hide my face from him by snuggling deeper into his chest.

"I miss her, Eric."


	23. The Troubles

**A/N: **_This is a small chapter, I know, but I'm quite sure the next one will be the last of this season. I fully plan on doing a Season 2 (yay Godric! Woo! Steve Newlin and his insane beliefs!) and so I will add a little note to the end of this story when I post it. :)_

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><p>- Chapter Twenty –<p>

_**The Troubles**_

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><p>I suppose you think that this means Eric and I walked lovingly into a sunset with romantic, dramatic music playing in the background. Well, no, actually. Sadly, movies do not really convey life in a very realistic way. Firstly, I do not know of a movie in which a Reaper falls in love with a vampire. Secondly, I don't watch movies very often anyway. I watched Titanic once. I'm quite sure there was plenty of room for Jack to get on that floating board with Rose. But, hey, I didn't write it. And thirdly, my life is filled with magical inconveniences, most of which I cannot control. Didn't all relationships have troubles though, magical or not?<p>

Only, I think Eric is definitely worth the troubles. And you would think that right now we would be professing our undying love for one another, but instead, I am listening to Jessica whine about her dreadful life and how unfair it all is and how the world hates her. How romantic. Of course, being filled with her pubescent angst and being forever seventeen meant Jessica was oblivious to anyone else's problems other than her own. I lay on my belly on the sofa, while she sat in the armchair across from me, telling me tales of woe and depression. My Zeus, I cannot _wait _until Eric ships her back to Bill.

"I miss my family, you know Nero?"

"Not really," I replied, slightly muffled because I had my head stuffed beneath a cushion to try and drown her out. "I don't have any family."

"Oh. Well, you see, I had a little sister named Eden." Oh she and Bill are just _meant _to be together. He can regale her with stories of his youth and his mind-numbing adventures in the Civil War, while she can dither on about his family and how _awful _it is to be a vampire. "It'll be her birthday soon. I really wish I could go see her. Hey, do you think I should do something for her birthday?"

"Like what?"

"You know, leave a present outside her door or something, so she knows I'm thinking of her. Like how people usually celebrate birthdays."

I moved the cushion, staring at her as if she were entirely stupid. "Firstly, that is completely idiotic. Your family don't know you're a vampire, and I'm pretty sure Bill intends to keep it that way. Secondly, I don't know how people 'usually celebrate birthdays' because I've never had one."

She blinked at me, her mouth falling open in surprise. I expected her to throw a tantrum and storm out of here, so filled with teen rage that she would scream bloody murder, but apparently she wasn't mad. She was just surprised. "You've _never _had a birthday? Like, ever?"

"No," I muttered gruffly, putting the cushion back over my head.

"Well why not?"

Ugh. "Because I don't remember the day I was born."

"That's really sad, Nero. Everyone should celebrate their birthday. Hey, you should have on the same day that Emperor you were named after was born!"

I paused, sitting up and flinging the cushion away from me. "15th December. He was born on the 15th of December."

"Then why don't you just pretend that's your birthday?"

Huh. I had never considered even having a birthday before. Reapers don't celebrate weddings, birthdays, anniversaries or even funerals, which is funny considering we deal with death every day. We had a while until December, though. Almost suspiciously, I asked Jessica, "What do you even do on a birthday?"

She burst into giggles. "Oh come on Nero, surely you know that?"

I shook my head, though I hated to admit there was something I didn't know. I felt like I was sitting with Sookie again and she was laughing at me for not knowing who Prince Charming was. "How would I? I told you, we don't celebrate them. I've never been to one, either."

"Usually you pick a place to have it. My last birthday was at my house. My mom made a cake with my name on it, and she put out snacks for my family to eat and they gave me presents-…"

"Wait, wait, presents? You mean all these people, family and friends and stuff, come together to celebrate the day _I _was born?"

"Well, yeah. That's what a birthday is."

"A day…entirely dedicated to me?"

I felt as if my eyes were literally sparkling with happiness. Birthdays suddenly sounded wonderful! Jessica raised an eyebrow at me. "You could look at it that way, I guess."

"And people buy me things I want, right?"

"Not always, my grandma gave me socks last time-…"

"Ew."

"I know. But my aunt gave me a beautiful book and some jewellery."

"Huh. I think I want a birthday now."

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><p>All thoughts of throwing myself a party dedicated entirely to me were forgotten in one swift phone-call. Funnily enough, I was sitting in Eric's lap upon hearing said phone-call, twisting the cord in my fingers. He nibbled on my neck, making me giggle, until I heard Cato say, "Kid. Listen up. I have some news, and I don't know if you're gonna like it." I frowned, leaning forward and resting my elbows on Eric's desk.<p>

"Shoot," I muttered, bracing myself.

"Well, to put it simply, Grim is coming to town."

I think if Eric hadn't be holding me I would have fallen clean off my chair. He was frowning, and with his hearing he knew what Cato was saying. But really, Grim? Coming here, to Shreveport?

"I informed him of Alliyah's death, and he wishes to pay his respects. By killing Ursula personally."

"Alliyah meant that much to him?" I whispered, surprised.

"Apparently. She is being held here, at my home. He is asking for you to be there."

"Me?"

"You heard me," Cato replied. "So, are you going to come willingly or shall I send someone to fetch you?"

By 'fetch me' he probably meant kidnapping.

"And you can't bring your boyfriend along. Sorry." He didn't mean that, because he began snickering.

"When do I need to be there?" I muttered, rubbing my temples tiredly. I'd rather not bring Eric anyway. One vampire, surrounded by Reapers and Death himself. Not a good mix. Eric's grip on my waist tightened.

"Within the next two days at least. You know where I live?"

"How can I forget that mansion of yours?"

"Good. Oh, and you are formally excused of your Reaping duties until Ursula's trial ends."

I blew out my cheeks and sighed. "As if I even _have _any, Cato. No one has been dying in Bon Temps or Shreveport as of late."

"Try not to sound so depressed about it, Nero. Goodbye."

"Bye Cato."

I sighed again, hanging up on him and leaning back into Eric. He twisted a lock of my hair around his finger, humming softly. Going to meet Grim, what a blast. "Will he be wearing a black cloak and a scythe?"

I snorted with laughter. "Of course not. That's what the humans made up. He can actually shape-shift."

Eric paused, seemingly taking this in. "Shape-shift?"

"Mm. I mean, think about it Eric. I think people would notice a man walking around with a scythe all the time. Grim can turn into anyone. He could literally be someone you know. Your neighbour, your friend, a guy who bought you coffee one time when you forgot your wallet or something stupid like that. Kinda scary, don't you think? You could bump into him anytime, anywhere, and you would be none the wiser."

"Are you afraid to meet him?"

"I don't know. I guess. I can't remember my death, so I have no idea what he was like. I can only go on hear-say."

"And what do people say about him?"

"That he's manipulative, intelligent, slightly unnerving, scary and always in control."

"Sounds like most Reapers to me."

I thumped him on the chest, and he laughed.

"I said _most _Nero, not all. Are you sure I can't come with you?"

"Positive. By order of Death and Cato the new Secretary of Area 5."

He winked at me, suddenly lifting me into the air and kissing me. "Then let's make the most of the time we have."


	24. The End

**A/N: **_So. This is awkward. I haven't updated in a while, due to the fact that I am a lazy, inconsiderate troll who could not think of a single thing to write in Nero's sarcastic way. I'm going to be posting the new story tonight, because I was not entirely sure of this ending… Grim is a hard guy to write, you know! :)_

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><p>- Chapter Twenty-One –<p>

_**The End**_

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><p>I'm not quite sure what I expected of Death. Obviously, I didn't imagine him in a sombrero nor did I think I would find him dancing the Macarena. I also didn't think he would look anything like the humans have depicted him over the centuries. Somehow, the image of a walking, talking skeleton wearing a long black cloak and carrying a gruesome scythe has become the normal idea when someone thinks of Death. Although he did wear a black cloak once, it was about three thousand years ago, at best. Black might be his favourite colour, but he does tend to keep up with the fashion of our times. For all we know, Death could be a real fan of Gucci or Prada or something like that. He lost that cloak ages ago. Black is slimming, but Grim is no fool. Don't you think someone would notice a skeleton walking around with a scythe, if he didn't at least <em>try <em>to look normal? Oh yes, my friends, you could meet Death one day and not even know it.

For all you know, you might have sat with him on the train or on a plane. He really likes planes, from what I gather. I can only try to imagine what he must have looked like in the Victorian ages, wearing a top-hat and all that. Unfortunately, as soon as I arrived at Cato's, I lost my giddy mood concerning top-hats. I was far too worried about the trial. Ursula would die. That was certain, and honestly I did not care as long as she suffered. It was the endless amounts of guards teeming around Cato's mansion that set my nerves alight. Alliyah had never requested so much security in her time as a Secretary. Perhaps Cato had beefed up the guards tonight in order to impress Grim? I was even _searched._ Yes, you heard me. A very small, squat and bull-dog-like woman with a grim frown patted me down, asked me to sign a piece of paper and then sent me on my way.

His home was buzzing with other Reapers. They seemed endless. It was crazy to me, seeing as I had never realized just how many of us there were. They all wore suits, too, impeccably clean and expensive ones. I felt a little shabby in comparison, wearing a pretty spaghetti-stringed blue dress that ended just about my knees. I hadn't bothered with a jacket – I can't feel the cold. Only when I'm dying do I begin to notice things like that. I had a purse, though. Quite pointless, seeing as it only contained my phone. A brisk woman who was far younger than me led me to a large, circular room and locked the door behind me.

My Mark began burning, and I hissed, rubbing it in pain. A quiet, sad voice said, "My sweet Nero. How long it has been since I have last seen you."

The lights in the room suddenly turned on, blinding me momentarily. When I finally focused, I saw Death. Quite literally. He stood just feet away for me, in an expensive and impeccable suit (no scythe to be seen), smiling sadly with his hands held behind his back. Why he looked so melancholy, I do not know. I didn't expect him to be doing cartwheels, of course, but I had never seen another being look so…unhappy. His black hair was slicked back, his hazel eyes meeting mine. He was a few inches taller than Eric, with broad shoulders and great muscles. I knew that even though he wore such a wonderful suit. Unsurprisingly, it was black. He had a black shirt on, and a red tie. Expensive cuff links, and polished black shoes. With every step he took towards me, they clicked softly against the marble floor, until he stopped right beside me and put an arm around my shoulder. Is it weird for me to say that he even smelled nice?

"Such unfortunate news has brought me here, Nero. And your brothers and sisters join us, too," he murmured, motioning around us. I felt quite stupid for not having noticed any other Reapers in the room. They sat behind very tall, high tables, as if they were on podiums preparing to give speeches. I had to crane my neck to look up at them, especially Cato. Grim sat me right beside him on that podium, leaning back in his seat menacingly. To me, he looked positively murderous. I felt glad not to be in Ursula's place right now, the rotten cow.

I kind of wished I was sitting in Merlotte's with Sookie, actually, wondering who Prince Charming was. Sitting beside Death made my spine tingle, my skin crawl. He was very handsome, that was true, but he made me feel…tense. And sort of sad, too. Cato once told me that the mood Grim is in affects everyone around him. For example, if he is immensely happy, you'll feel like that too. If he is unhappy, well…you'll know all about it.

"Bring out the traitor, Cato," he said quietly. Grim did not feel the need to speak loudly at all. There were twenty of us Reapers surrounding him, ten on each side, all looking down from our high seats at the centre of the room in front of us. Erastos, Maxima, Remus, Regulus and Caius were all there, probably as witnesses. Each of them nodded at me. Great, it's like one big reunion. The room itself was made entirely of marble, with beautiful, expensive paintings on the walls and pretty plants dotting the inside of the doors. Odd, that this was a torture room when it looked so darn gorgeous. Cato nodded at his guards, who stood by the doors. They nodded in return, leaving for a few moments. When they came back in dragging a person between them, in took a while to realize it really was Ursula. My, she looked positively dreadful.

She had a split lip, two black eyes, her arms were black and blue with bruises. Boy, she sure looked pitiful. Grim straightened up, entwining his fingers together and watching her carefully. The moment Ursula saw him, she let out a strangled sob of fear. Grim smiled, his mood suddenly brightening. I desperately wished Eric was here. Grim was not here for me, and yet I felt as if he were scrutinising my every move.

"Ursula the Traitor. That is how you will be known," Grim sighed, tapping his fingers against the desk as if he were playing piano. "Tell me, Ursula, do you know what happens to those who dare to even _conspire _against me or one of my Reapers, especially one as loyal as Alliyah was?"

When I glanced at Grim, I got the shock of my life. His eyes were no longer hazel – they were entirely black! No pupils or irises or whites, just entirely black. He reminded me of a rabid animal, a wolf perhaps, as he slammed his fists on the table.

"Answer me!" he roared.

Ursula was crying. Really, really crying. We do not breathe, yet she took long, ragged breaths. "I am sorry, Grim! I have failed you, this I know, but only give me another chance and I will prove myself to you-…"

"You dare ask me for another _chance_, you cowardly swine!"

In an instant, his eyes returned to their hazel colour. He was smiling wickedly.

"Ursula," he said softly, and she whimpered as she met her gaze. "Do you recall the man our Nero is named after? The Emperor himself?"

Ursula nodded weakly. "I do."

"You know what he did to those he considered to be traitors? He wrapped them in meat, to entice the dogs he used to rip them apart. Then, he nailed them to a cross, because at the time Christians were considered Rome's enemy. If they had survived that much, they would be sit alight. Those were the days, Ursula. Those were the days."

Jeez. I hope I'm never as cruel to my enemies as Nero was.

"Unfortunately, that would not kill you, Ursula," Grim sighed. "I am the only being that can kill you now."

"Please, Grim, I beg of you…"

"Beg of me," he repeated slowly. "After you killed one of the greatest Reapers I have ever made, conspired with _witches_" – his eyes were swirling to a black colour once more – "and you have the audacity to beg me to spare your worthless, pointless existence!"

He roared and punched the table, creating a small dent. My eyes flashed to meet Cato's, and he shrugged. Apparently Cato is quite used to Death smashing up his furniture. Grim rubbed his temples tiredly.

"Alright, alright. Dammit, I need another plague to calm me down. Or a war, or _something_, instead of this bullshit you're giving me, Ursula! Now I will I ask you to tell me the truth. Why did you conspire against us? Why did you join the side of the witches?"

Ursula took a deep, shuddery breath. "I-I…I wanted to be Secretary of Area 5…I knew that Alliyah would not be taken down, not by someone like me…I found the witches of Shreveport-.."

"Sir, I am looking for the witches as we speak. They appear to have fled Shreveport," Cato murmured in his deep, rumbling voice.

Grim nodded. "Thank you, Cato. Continue Ursula. I have a natural disaster that will claim quite a few lives in a few hours. Make this quick."

Ursula swallowed. "I knew that Cato was next in line for the position. Then Erastos and so on. Until we came to Nero."

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me. For once, I didn't bask in the limelight.

"Everyone knows I am not a fan of Nero. She is a vain, narcissistic and arrogant little-…"

"Do not speak of Nero in such a manner," Grim snapped,

_Weh-hey! Grim is sticking up for me!_

"She may be all of those things" – alright, so maybe he wasn't entirely defending me… - "but she is _loyal_. She would never betray us to witches. She would never even consider it. Nero, while she may not entirely be considerate of other people and though she may not have much empathy, is one of the loyalist Reapers I have ever created. I wish I could say the same for you, Ursula."

"The witches promised to take care of the problem," she whispered quietly. "Especially Nero. They promised to get rid of her quickly. It would not have been a painful death."

Huh. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. '_Thanks for asking the witches to spare me a little pain as you murdered me' _didn't sound right.

"The same could be said for Alliyah," Ursula continued. "I loved Ursula."

I snorted disbelievingly. "Liar."

"It was true, Nero! You may hate me as I hate you but you must believe that part! The witches blinded me!"

"Of course, blame the witches," Cato snarled.

"Silence!" Grim shouted. He made me jump slightly. "I have had enough of this. It is time for you to die, Ursula. I regret ever having made you. You are a traitor and a liar. You killed one of your own."

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed.

Grim's black eyes met with hers, and she began screaming. I wasn't sure how he was doing it. Simply by looking at her, he was causing immense amounts of pain. Even I had to close my eyes for a moment and shut her out as she ripped at her skin and cried out for help. Grim, however, was smiling brightly. Ursula burst into flames. I had opened one eye slowly, wincing. It wasn't your normal sort of fire. The flames were the same black colour as his eyes. I sincerely hoped I was never in Ursula's position, ever. That was one of the most horrific things I have ever seen.

Grim, once his eyes had returned to a normal hazel colour, took a very deep breath. "You all may leave. This trial is over."

I made to stand up, when he grabbed my wrist. Not in a tight grip. He was surprisingly gentle, tugging me back into my seat. "Not you, Nero. Not yet."

I slowly sat back down, watching his every move. "Yes, sir?"

I had copied Cato in calling him 'sir', and he smiled. "Nero, I do admire your strength. I am very sorry for Alliyah's death. I wish I could have done more." Something told me he really did mean that. After all, he was correct in saying that she had been one of the best Reapers to ever live. "You are free of your Reaping duties for the next few weeks. Think of it as a mourning holiday. Am I right in saying you have not had a holiday since 1956?"

"1802, sir," I smiled.

He whistled lowly. "Ah. My apologies, Nero. It appears I have worked you to the bone. Just like your human life."

I blinked, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Your human life, Nero. You do not remember being a slave, of course."

I'm sorry, did he just say _slave_? Oh, what a fucking let-down. Ugh. I felt like punching something. Seeing as Grim was the only guy around now that the other Reapers were slowly filing out of the room, I didn't think that was a good idea. I clenched my fists instead, biting my tongue. I wanted him to say more. I could not have been a slave. No way. Not me! I am Nero! After the Emperor!

Grim seemed to read my mind, for he grinned. "Did you never wonder why you felt so entitled to everything? As a slave, you had nothing. That is why you care only for yourself, Nero. You feel as if you deserve everything. Didn't this ever occur to you?"

"I don't remember my human life," I murmured, shrugging again. "I thought I was always this way."

He leaned back in his seat, tapping his chin. "You were. Even when you were dying, you showed me your true colours Nero. Your honesty, as well as your loyalty, are your most defining qualities."

"If you do not mind me asking, how did I die?"

"Isn't it obvious? You spoke out against your Masters. Oh yes, Nero, you have a very loud mouth sometimes. You no longer wanted to see people with expensive things, you wanted to _have _those things. And when you told your Masters you did not want to serve them, that you wanted to be free, they…well, they beat you quite badly and tossed you out. I found you."

Great. Just fucking fantastic. I was a God-damn _slave. _Not an Empress. Not a Ruler. Not a Queen. A fucking slave. Whoop-dee-do. Pam and Chow must never know of this. I swear, if Pam or Chow find out and even _dare _make fun of me, well I think Emperor Nero's way of dealing with traitors sounds pretty good right about now as a punishment…

"Nero, is it true what Cato tells me?" Grim asked suddenly, waking me from my violent thoughts. "You have a relationship with a vampire?"

I felt like blushing. It felt like talking to your dad about your sex life when it came to speaking with Grim. Ugh, Cato, you bastard.

"Yes, sir."

"Eric Northman. The Viking. A thousand years old, like yourself. Made by the vampire Godric. Sheriff of Area 5. Tall. Blond. Protective, loyal, arrogant."

I swallowed a lump in my throat. Grim knew a lot about Eric. "That's Eric alright."

"I have never heard of such a relationship before. Then again, you're always one to surprise people, Nero."

I thought he would let me go, so I could rush home to Eric and break the news that I was a slave. Then, after telling him, I would lock myself in my bedroom and wallow in self-pity for a while. Why did I have to be a loud-mouth slave of all things? And a stupid one at that, if I spoke out against my Masters and got myself killed for it. Actually, scratch that. I'm glad my human self did what she did. Otherwise I would not be here. Talking to Death.

Speaking of Grim, he leaned forward in his seat, staring me right in the eyes. "It is no secret that the vampires and I do not get along, Nero. They cheated me, if you understand me. I trust you. Not them. Not Northman. You are loyal to me, but let me warn you Nero – the vampires are cunning. They are more cunning than you give them credit for. If you betray us in any way to them, intentional or not, you will suffer the same fate as Ursula. Understand?"

I knew he was serious. "I understand." He stood, straightening his tie, before he patted my shoulder.

"Good. It was a pleasure meeting you once again, Nero. Try not to forget my warning. For your sake."

How could I ever forget that warning?


	25. Season 2  Don't Fear the Reaper

**A/N: **_**READ PLEASE! **__This is now __**Season 2! **__In case you didn't understand.. :)_

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><p><em><strong>DON'T FEAR THE REAPER<strong>_

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><p>- Chapter One –<p>

_**Nero Returns**_

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><p>"Eric? Eric, there is a homosexual black man in your basement. Should I be worried?"<p>

In a thousand years, I had stumbled upon many things. Though I'm quite sure finding Lafayette Reynolds chained to a wall in the dungeon of Fangtasia was one of the creepiest and oddest things I'd seen in a very, very long time. I would probably need many months of extensive therapy to wipe this from my mind. Gingerly, I took the last few steps down the stairs, dodging a small pool of blood. Hey, I was wearing a brand new, floor-length red dress! Only Pam would appreciate the importance of a pretty dress, I suppose, for Lafayette cowered behind a bolder, shaking his chains with fear. Huh. Never thought I'd see him in this position before. Lafayette was probably one of my favourite people at Merlotte's. He was, in simple terms, the only fun person there. He cursed, he liked make-up, he wore sparkly things that took my fancy and said hilarious things that I only half-understood due to his terrible grammar. He also had a tendency to call me 'hookah'. I liked this very much.

"Hello Lafayette!"

"N-Nero…what are you doing down here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I winked, bending to his level. "Shouldn't you be flipping burgers at Merlotte's instead of chained to my boyfriend's wall? Because honestly, I'm getting a little worried. I mustn't be very good in sack if he has resorted to this."

Lafayette spluttered, pulling his chains as hard as he could to shuffle away from me. I raised an eyebrow. I'm hardly the scariest creature to come down here. Plus, I looked pretty wonderful in this dress. Which, by the way, Lafayette has not complimented yet, even though I'm right in front of him.

"I ain't down here willingly," Lafayette stuttered. "Your boyfriend is keepin' me here!"

"I gathered that from the chains," I murmured, grabbing them and yanking him closer to me. We were inches apart, our noses almost touching. I giggled. "I just wanna know why, Lafayette."

"N-Nero, we is friends, right?"

"Well sure, only if you wanna be. I mean, we haven't swapped friendship bracelets or anything, but there's always time for that."

"A-And friends, they do things for each other, a-huh?"

I scrunched my face up in deep thought, but I nodded. "I am vaguely aware of that concept, yes. I could invite you to my birthday, if you like."

"You crazy, girl, you know that? I don't wanna go to no birthday party!" he hissed. "This ain't no time to joke around!"

I fiddled with my necklace. I wonder if Eric missed me much. Though he was probably far too busy kidnapping chefs from bars like Merlotte's to notice my absence. Meeting Death had frightened me a little. Shivers ran down my spine just thinking about it. I heard a gurgle, and turned to glance behind me. Oh. Lafayette was not alone. Another man sat leaning against the wall behind us, a collar similar to a dog's around his neck. He groaned tiredly, wiping his eyes and finally waking up. When he spotted me, he leapt up to his knees, as much as his chains would allow. The woman lying on the other side of the room opened her eyes, just barely, and spotted me too. Her eyes flickered shut slowly, as if she hadn't fully registered my presence. And lastly, there was a man who was totally unconscious, lying in the foetal position just beside her.

"Hey! Hey you! I recognize you alright! You're the hot chick from the bar!"

"Why thank you, I do try to dress my best," I said, smoothing out my dress. "You see Lafayette, a simple compliment can do wonders. I am now more inclined to save him than you."

Lafayette made a groan of pure agony. "Nero please, you said we was friends, right? Then help me outta here! I wanna go home!"

"Yeah, get us outta here lady!" the other man growled. "Or I'll-…"

"Shut yo' mouth you dumb-ass fool!" Lafayette barked angrily at the guy. "Dumb-ass motherfuckin' hick."

"Lafayette, what exactly did you do?" I asked, standing up and stretching.

He seemed to struggle with speech for a moment. "Uh…I-I..I was sellin' V. But I ain't doin' it no more, no ma'am, I ain't never gonna touch that stuff again!"

I whistled, shaking my head sadly. You see, this was the thing with friends. Some of them are just plain stupid. "Oh, Lafayette…."

"I ain't never gonna do it again!"

"That's not the point. If it is vampire business, I can't interfere. Zeus, you had to pick V of all things."

"N-Nero," he whispered.

I nodded at him. "Yup?"

"What…What are you? You ain't a vamp, I know that much."

"You're right, Lafayette. I'm not human."

"What is you then?"

"Let's just say I help people out when they die." Though right now, I have my 'holidays'. Or rather, my mourning time. Death was kind enough to give me a few weeks off. To grieve for Alliyah. He says grief is something everyone must suffer. Lafayette let out a noise similar to a wail at what I said.

"Your boyfriend called you here to kill me, didn't he? Aw, hell…"

I giggled again, shaking my head. "No he didn't. I don't kill people, Lafayette. Well. Not that often. I just…you know, _help _them to make it into another life. Another realm, I suppose."

"What, the white fluffy clouds and all that shit?" he muttered, wiping his eyes.

"Not exactly. I wouldn't really know. I haven't died in a thousand years."

His head snapped toward me. "You're a thousand years old?"

"I know, I should model for one of those anti-wrinkle cream advertisements that humans use," I winked, putting my hands proudly on my hips and striking a few poses. "I don't know if that counts as false advertisement though, seeing as I can't age, with or without anti-wrinkle cream."

"You crazy," he whispered, putting his head in his hands. "You're insane. I ain't never gonna get out of here."

"Yeah, probably," I shrugged. "Well, I guess I can't invite you to my birthday if you're dead." I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "Though most of my guests will be dead themselves."

"Do you think me dying is funny?" he hissed. "This ain't no joke, you crazy-ass little-…"

"Ah, Lafayette. I would watch how you speak to Nero," a new voice rumbled. "I have a great fondness for her, and do not appreciate people insulting her."

Lafayette nearly jumped out of his skin when Eric sauntered down the stairs. He had tin-foil in his hair, a smile on his face. I grinned, making my way over to him. He kissed me, and I got so wrapped up in it that I almost forgot about the fact that Lafayette and the Hick were watching us. I hadn't seen Eric in two weeks. His hands were in my hair, making their way down to my waist. When we finally broke apart, Lafayette looked queasy. I suppose being in a dungeon with a vampire, a Reaper and a Hick isn't his idea of a good time. "I missed you," Eric whispered into my ear, twisting a lock of my hair with his finger. "That is a beautiful dress on you."

If I had a beating heart, I might've blushed. I beamed with pride at him instead. "Why thank you, Mr Northman."

"Such a pity that we'll be taking it off very soon," he grinned seductively.

"Heart-breaking," I murmured, giving him one more peck. I tapped the tin-foil on his head. "Getting a hair-cut?"

"A small one. I've been very bored without you, Nero."

"Really? I see you've kept yourself entertained by kidnapping my friend while I was away."

"I was unaware that you had any acquaintance with him. Lafayette has been causing some problems in my Area for a while now. But first, I think we will deal with this man," Eric smiled as he let go of me and made his way over to the Hick. I jumped up onto the stairs, waiting for him. Lafayette was pleading with me using only his eyes, but I shook my head sadly at him. Vampire business is vampire business. Death told me this, and I had not forgotten it. He had told me not to mess with it, and I didn't plan on it either. Eric bent down in front of the Hick, smiling at him. His voice was low and husky, how I liked it.

"Royce Alan Williams. We have a few questions for you in regards to a fire which claimed three of our kind."

"No fucking way man," Royce the Hick replied, clenching his fists. I'm not sure how he thought he would avoid them, seeing as he is wearing a dog collar and in the presence of two much older and stronger creatures than him. "I don't know anything."

Lafayette cowered further behind the wall. If Eric were to kill Lafayette, I would miss him greatly. Perhaps I'll plead with him, ask him to show a little mercy. I'm sure I could convince him. If Lafayette were dead, I would have no one to call me 'hookah' on a regular basis. Eric took Royce by his collar, lifting him despite his protests.

"Crimes against vampires are on the rise. We lost a Sheriff just days ago, and we seek answers."

My eyes snapped to Eric at that. Lost a Sheriff? It must have happened while I was away. It was odd, Eric caring that another Sheriff had been taken. Did he think the same would happen to him? The only other Sheriff I could think of was...- Godric? No. It couldn't be. Godric is twice our ages. No one could take him, not without a very gruesome fight. But he was the only Sheriff I could think of that Eric would possibly care about, if they had been taken.

Eric took off Royce's collar and dragged him toward me. I mouthed the word, 'Godric?' at Eric, and he nodded grimly. But, he was so distracted by me that he hadn't noticed Royce pulling out a silver cross until it was too late. He stuck it to Eric's cheek, while Eric let out a deafening roar similar to a lion's. Royce made a run at me, completely unaware that I was not a human. He took my arms, intending to push me into the wall, but I grabbed him before he could even blink and snapped his arm in half. He screamed very loudly as I kept on twisting the broken bone, mainly out of anger that he had hurt Eric. He fell to his knees. I gave him a harsh kick to the ribs, and blood trickled from his mouth. I stepped away from the stairs, making my way to Eric and pulling the silver from his face.

Royce was feebly attempting to climb up the stairs, which impressed me. Had he thought that such a little amount of silver would paralyze Eric long enough for him to make a getaway? Eric grabbed Royce's leg, throwing up into the air, where he landed with a _thud _on the stairs. He let out a roar of pain when Eric did this, because he landed on the arm I had broken. Then, still roaring like a rabid animal, Eric took his leg and pulled him towards him. Royce, the poor guy, tried to grab onto the concrete walls and pull himself away. Eric's fangs popped out, and he picked Royce up, twisting him onto his side and biting right into his ribs.

I shut my eyes momentarily. Great. You know, when other girls meet up with their boyfriends after a while away from one another, they go out for dinner. See a nice movie, relax, enjoy their time together. But Eric, oh no, he rips people in half and growls like a furious animal with his fangs out. Lucky me. Royce eventually split completely in half, and Eric had great fun tearing him limb from limb. When the blood splattered onto my face and chest, I felt my hands clenching into fists. Did Eric _know _how much this dress had cost me? Did he _know _how hard it was to get blood out?

When Eric finished, he glanced at me, freezing like a deer caught in the head-lights when he saw my expression. His eyes slowly moved to the blood now covering my arms, face, chest and dress. It hit him quite suddenly what he had done. He realized he had totally destroyed my dress, and boy, did he look like he sorely regretted it. I was grinding my teeth. Almost sheepishly, he let blood dribble from his mouth as he smiled at me. "I apologize for ruining your beautiful dress, Nero, but might I just say you look wonderful with blood on you."

"Save it," I growled. "You are buying me _ten _new dresses, you inconsiderate asshole."

I turned on my heels, stomping up the stairs. I heard him chuckle as he reached the top, speaking to Lafayette. "Women, huh? Can't live with them, can't live without them."


	26. The Misunderstanding

**A/N: I had to re-upload this! Sorry! And thanks for the wonderful reviews, follows and alerts and stuff! I love you guys! :) **_You know when Lafayette says the email address, I had to actually write it out differently, because whenever I typed it normally it would actually create a link and it was annoying as Hell. So no texting anyone called pussy-lover9, okay guys? Be cool, haha._

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><p>- Chapter Two –<p>

_**The Misunderstanding **_

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><p>Somehow, I had not quite imagined my reunion with Eric going like this. I sat on the black sofa in his office, with Chow scowling like a furious bull-dog beside me and Pam shaking her head sadly at my beautiful dress that was now covered in fresh blood. She rubbed some on her finger, licking it and frowning. Apparently, my dress tasted as awful as it looked. Wonderful. I put one leg over the other, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at the vampire sitting in front of me. Eric, to be more precise. He had followed me quite soon after I left the basement, dragging Lafayette alongside him. Lafayette himself was covered in Royce's blood. Pam, once finished mourning my dress with me, turned to face Eric. I praise Zeus for Eric turning Pam. I'm not sure if she is aware how much I like her. She doesn't take bullshit, she has a wonderful fashion sense and we can talk about pretty much anything. At least, that is how I see it. She picked up a piece of Eric's hair, letting it fall limply when she had finished examining it.<p>

"_This_," she sighed, "is a disaster." I bet she included my dress in that statement. I'd also bet that Bill Compton is having more fun than I am right about now. "We'll have to go much shorter than I planned."

Eric sighed. "Well I said I was sorry Pam. He took silver to me. You were there, you saw it, defend me."

"You would look better with shorter hair," I murmured, and Eric raised an eyebrow at me.

"You think so, Nero?"

"Mm. All slicked back. You know, that was how Grim styled his hair," I smiled.

"You want him to look like Death?" Pam asked, smirking. "Kinky."

Chow stood, walking to the opposite side of the room and clasping his hands together like an angry bouncer. Lafayette eyed him warily, before looking deep into Eric's eyes. "I don't know what it is you wanna know, but just point me in the direction and I'll give it to you." Pam picked at Eric's hair, throwing me a small smile at Lafayette's words. He would not do well under much torture, that's for sure. I returned it, simply out of my fondness of her. We had similar personalities, I suppose. I must admit, I drifted out slightly when Eric began asking Lafayette about a 'website'. Whatever Lafayette did in his spare time, I did not care.

"I-I think…it was Jason Stackhouse."

The sound of the name made my ears perk up. Stackhouse. As in Sookie. Curiously, I watched Eric and Pam speaking in Swedish. I should take some classes in Swedish, if only I wasn't so lazy.

"Any buyers in the Dallas area?" Eric asked. Godric could have been taken by V-dealers. Hm. There would have to be a whole lot of them to take down someone as strong as Godric. From my last meeting of him, he was immensely powerful. Subdued, tamed and quiet, yes, but powerful nonetheless.

"Yes. One. He never gave me his name. I have his email address. Pussy-lover9 at she-mail dot com."

Pam raised her eyebrows and smirked at Chow, who rolled his eyes. I giggled at the stupid name, and Eric smiled at me. Even with blood on his face, Eric had a beautiful smile. Swoon.

"A friend of mine in the Dallas area has gone missing. His name is Godric." Yes, I was right! One point to Nero, ladies and gentlemen. "Now while the circumstances of his disappearance are unclear, it stands to reason that his blood would be very valuable, as he's over twice my age and ten times I will ever be."

"Oh Eric, you don't do humble well," Pam smirked.

"I was not being humble, this happens to be true," Eric replied firmly.

I imagined it being Alliyah who was taken from me. Without a trace, without a goodbye. My heart broke for Eric, knowing how painful it must be. Losing someone you love and not knowing if they are alive or dead, in pain or injured. I would help him find Godric, of course. That goes without saying, though I'm sure Eric will ask anyway. I have a couple of weeks without my Reaper duty. I can dedicate my time to Godric. Once we find him, Eric will be happy again. And if Eric is happy, I'm happy.

"Chow, take our guest and lock him back up, will you?"

"No, fuck that!" Lafayette exclaimed, jumping up. "I ain't going back down there, I gave you everything!"

Eric actually made me jump in surprise when he leapt up. "You gave me _nothing_!"

Lafayette stumbled away from Chow, coming closer to me. "I ain't going back there! Fuck that! Nero, you gotta help me, you're supposed to be my friend!" He grabbed my arms, pulling me from the sofa and forcing me to stand. "You can't let 'em put me back down there hookah, you just can't!" Eric stormed over to us, ripping Lafayette from me and shoving him in Chow's direction. Lafayette did not give up.

"Chow, now," Eric said, and Chow sped over to Lafayette, grabbing his arm harshly. He was pulling him out of the room as Lafayette yelled at us, desperately grabbing anything he could to try and get away from Chow. When they had finally left, I sighed.

"That was highly depressing."

"How was your visit to see Grim?" Eric asked gruffly, taking a seat again.

"I have a few weeks free to do as I wish," I murmured. "Which means I will do anything I can to help you find Godric."

Eric kissed my forehead, lingering there for a moment. "He was taken, Nero. The Dallas vampires, they have no idea how or why. I worry that V-dealers took him."

"We will find him, Eric. No matter how long it takes."

"We're going to have to travel to Dallas, Nero."

"Anything, Eric."

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><p>"I think you look very handsome, Eric. Especially in that tracksuit."<p>

He smirked as we strolled through the shopping mall. He had apologized once more for destroying my dress, and said he would buy me a new one, which was pretty sweet of him. Although this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. A shopping mall, I mean. I thought he meant Gucci or something. To my surprise, however, he explained he had an ulterior motive for coming here. He knew Bill would be here. Zeus only knows where Eric got this information, but he knew it. And we were searching for him.

"How about this?" I grinned, picking up a very skimpy, purple dress with far too much leather and studs on it.

"Hm, perhaps you should model it for me. Or better yet, forget the dress and go nude altogether, Nero," he grinned.

"Mr Northman, what kind of woman do you take me for?" I asked in a falsely sweet tone, flinging the dress back on the racks. I glanced behind him, spotting Bill. I saw a woman holding a mini-skirt to her chest, showing him the design pattern on it. I held a hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter, imagining Bill wearing such an item. In fact, I couldn't hold myself back, doubling over and wiping tears. Eric followed my gaze, and I could tell he was trying to hold back his laughter himself. Vampires have great control over their facial muscles, but they weren't completely immune. I leaned on him, wiping a fresh tear away. "Just think what his legs would look like in that mini-skirt, Eric!"

Eric actually laughed quite loudly. He tried not to. I know he wanted to appear manly and all that crap, but the image of Bill Compton in a mini-skirt was too much. He grinned at me. "You are wicked, Nero."

"Nero the Wicked, that's me," I grinned. "Hey, I bet you that he'll wear that skirt for Sookie, you know. A little dress-up before they do it."

Eric groaned. "Nero, please stop trying to scar me. That image will stay in my mind forever."

"I think Sookie would look pretty good naked."

"It's not Sookie that's scarring me," Eric replied.

Come on, I have to tell him something." I began pulling him towards Bill.

"Tell him what?"

"That the mini-skirt really brings out his eyes," I winked. Eric smirked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. I linked arms with him, sneaking up on Bill.

"Good evening old sport," Eric greeted as Bill turned toward us.

Bill looked mildly surprised. "Eric?"

"It's the new me," Eric drawled. "You like?"

"I do. Very much," Bill nodded, smiling.

The woman who had been helping Bill shop put a hand over her heart. "Oh. Okay." She laughed softly and walked away. I raised an eyebrow, boggled by her. Eric glanced down at me, but I shrugged.

"That was a very pretty mini-skirt Bill. You would look simply wonderful in it," I smiled.

Bill rolled his eyes, but he returned my smile. "Actually, it's for Jessica."

"Attempting to bond with her, huh? How's it going?"

"Terribly."

"Well. Eric needs to speak with you, and while he does, I am going to find myself a very nice dress. I'll try to find one for Jessica, if you'd like."

Even Eric seemed surprise by my offer. I winked at him, letting him know I was softening Bill up. Bill raised his eyebrows, smiling brightly. "Why thank you Nero, that is very kind of you."

"No problem."

I patted Eric's arm, leaving him to it. That woman with the red hair approached me as I was checking out a pretty blue dress. It had small, sparkling diamonds – fake, duh – running along the cleavage. The woman reminded me of a bee, buzzing around me, offering help I did not need. "That man you were with earlier," she whispered, leaning closely to me after giving up on the act of being a helpful employee.

I glanced over at the two men now conversing by the changing rooms. "Which one?"

"The shorter, dark-haired guy…"

"Bill," I nodded.

"Bill," she repeated. "Is he…uh, is he…into…women, by any chance?"

I snorted, quickly covering it as a cough. Rather smoothly, I took the dress and modelled it in front of me in the mirror as I replied, "Oh no, not at all. You see the blond man he's with? They're totally in love, but Bill just can't admit it."

"Oh, wow," she breathed slowly. She giggled nervously, putting her hand over her heart like she did earlier. "That is so embarrassing for me."

"How so?"

"Well, between you and me, I offered to model that skirt for him, you know the little one with the studs?" I nodded as she continued. "He said no, and all this time I thought it was me! I assumed the blond guy you were with was your boyfriend! All this time I thought the short guy didn't find me attractive!"

"Don't be silly. Nope, that blond is…" I searched for some kind of relation. "My brother. Yes. Came out of the closet about a year ago when our father caught him making out with Bill on the front porch."

"Oh, the poor thing, that must have been so difficult for him!"

This was priceless. This poor woman thought that Bill was gay and in a relationship with Eric! I am so going to tell Pam about this later. "I know. Bill, he just can't seem to come to terms with his sexuality. Look how closely they're standing."

She glanced over, biting her lower lip. "You know, he's a vampire."

"Oh I know. My…_brother_ likes vampires."

"Really? Wow," she gasped, her eyes completely wide.

"Yup. They're going on a romantic trip to Dallas soon, you know," I said, really enjoying this.

She smiled. "How romantic! That is just adorable."

Eric was walking towards us. When he came to a halt beside me, the woman actually patted his shoulder and sighed contently. "You two make a wonderful couple." With another little pat, she walked away, still smiling to herself. Eric looked completely confused.

"Couple? Does she mean you and I?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."


	27. The Plan

**A/N: **_I've been planning another Eric/OC story recently, and that is probably why I've been a little late updating because I've been so absorbed in that…My apologies! :) Funnily enough I was just listening to the song I named this story after by Chinese Man when I wrote this :)_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Three -<p>

**_The Plan_**

* * *

><p><em>"Good morning merry sunshine, what makes you wake so soon? You've scared the little stars away and driven away the moon..."<em>

**- 'Stand', Chinese Man.**_  
><em>

* * *

><p>I am quite certain that I have never met anyone as unlucky as Sookie Stackhouse in my entire life. For someone who is a thousand years old, that is certainly saying something. She is the girl who would fall down a well, the girl who would be eaten by the dragon in a fairy-tale and the girl who would ultimately die first if she were in a horror movie. Yes, folks, Sookie Stackhouse is by far the most unfortunate, misguided soul in this entire universe. Even Rumpelstiltskin probably had better luck than she did, and he was a guy who in one version of his story was so furious he tore himself in two. I mean really, she has a fight with her boyfriend, runs down a country laneway and is attacked by what she described as a half-bull half-human hybrid of some sort. Really, Sookie? Really? That has to be a world record. Her grandmother is brutally murdered, it turns out her brother's best friend is the murderer, and he then tries to kill her. All this and Sookie has still somehow survived. I need to figure out her secret, because she is definitely not immortal.<p>

I can't really ask her how she manages to constantly survive her shenanigans right now though, seeing as she is currently shuddering and frothing at the mouth. A bit of a bad time, I suppose. Bill Compton, delightful as always, is pacing back and forth with a look of pure fury similar to Rumpelstiltskin's when he tore himself in two. Eric is half-slumped in a chair across the room, watching this entire affair with a bored expression. Dr Ludwig, a small and very angry woman, is trying to treat Sookie's wounds, but is being a complete bitch to me in the meantime.

"It should have been the Reaper, you know," she murmured, picking at Sookie's skin with tweezers, examining it carefully.

I rolled my eyes, glaring darkly at her. "Hey, that's hardly fair!"

"Perhaps," the doctor nodded. "But true. You would merely die and return again without any of the consequences this woman faces. You avoid death."

"No, I just work for him," I snapped angrily. She made returning to life sound easy. It really isn't.

"Nero, surely you can comfort Sookie?" Bill pleaded. "Ease her pain, distract her somehow?"

I imagined myself balancing on top of an elephant like they used to do in old circuses, juggling to make Sookie think of anything but the pain. Hm. No elephants in sight, so I'd have to resort to Plan B.

"Well, Sook," I smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "When I'm dying slowly-…"

"She is not dying!" Bill roared.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut the fuck up Bill, I know what I'm doing," I huffed. "I simply meant when I am in a lot of pain – usually when I am dying because if it's something like what Sookie is going through, I heal within a few hours – I like to think of things that make me happy. You know, fluffy clouds and rainbows and unicorns, the works. Why don't you think of…your cat, Tina? Yeah, Tina!"

"S-She's dead," Sookie spluttered, blood dripping down her chin.

Oh. There goes my plan. I should have tried harder to find some elephants, apparently. This was the most awkward moment I had ever suffered in my life.

"Well done Nero," Bill spat bitterly.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, William. I didn't know her damn cat died," I hissed at him.

"Give us some privacy!" Ludwig demanded. "I need to remove her clothing."

I stood up, knowing Sookie was gasping desperately in an attempt to make us stay. Bill took my place, bending down to her level. "I will be just outside," he promised. "And I am_ so_ sorry." What a romantic.

"We're running out of time Mr Compton!" Ludwig frowned.

"Sorry, Sook," I murmured.

"No, wait, the Reaper stays," the doctor ordered, grabbing my hand. "I will need your assistance."

"Oh really?" I grinned. "I thought you were just going to insult me all the time."

"Don't worry sweetheart, I don't need you for your pretty face," she muttered.

I glanced at Eric for help, but he was smirking, strolling away with Bill. Wonderful. I did as Ludwig asked of me, gently prising Sookie's blood-soaked clothes from her body with as much care as I could. Seeing as I am a Reaper and not human, I have much more control over my body and can do things far more delicately than Ludwig can. Despite not liking Dr Ludwig very much, I told her, "You are a good doctor."

"I know."

"And you are just _so _humble," I replied sarcastically.

She shrugged. "I am good at my job, as I am sure you are at yours. I simply wish to heal."

"That is what makes you so good."

She actually managed to smile at me. I softened towards her, because she had a nice smile. I love nice smiles. She opened her suitcase, handing a blue bottle to me before she shut it again. Then, she took the vial from me. "Nero, I will need you to hold her legs down. This will hurt, Miss Stackhouse." Could Sookie even _be _in anymore pain than she already is? Apparently, yes. Dr Ludwig poured the vial onto her wounds. I had to struggle not to cover my ears as she screamed in pain. Ouch. Bill, helpful as always, came rushing in yelling and asking what we were doing. Ludwig told him to help, or let her die. Bill was quick to make his decision, grabbing Sookie's arms and whispering soothing things to her.

Oddly, her wounds were bubbling and spewing blood. I feel as if Sookie and I are somehow bonding through this. I mean, how many friends can say they have helped their pal out when they were attacked by a half-bull half-human creature that almost killed her? Not many. Dr Ludwig, being the gentle woman she is, brutally ripped something from Sookie's wounds, examining it closely. Ew, gross. I will never un-see these things.

And that was it. Bill was told to give her his blood. Eric offered to give Sookie his blood, winking at me. Another genius plan to ensnare Sookie to our cause.. At least, I think it is. I _hope_ it is. Bill, like a hormonal thirteen year old little girl, freaked the fuck out and had a show-down with Eric, who simply smiled at him. Sookie almost had a seizure after taking Bill's blood, and now we are all baffled. This just gets weirder and weirder.

* * *

><p>Being my adorable, sweet and kind self, I assured Bill I would rest in the main bar in order to watch over Miss Stackhouse. Due to her impossibly bad luck, it would not surprise me if a plane crashed into Fangtasia. Or a satellite dish. Or just a plain old meteor. With her dreadful luck, it wouldn't surprise me. Knowing Sookie, she would somehow survive all of these catastrophes with her usual poise and grace. That's Sookie for you. Just as I was drifting into a peaceful slumber, I was rudely awoken by said telepathic waitress, who was holding a gun to my head.<p>

"Well good morning to you too, Stackhouse."

"Cut the crap Nero! I heard Ginger's thoughts! Eric has Lafayette locked up in the basement and you knew all about it!" she growled. Ugh, fucking humans and their easily accessible thoughts.

"What are you going to do, Sookie? Shoot me?" I asked. "If so, then you might want to do this."

I guided her hand to the centre of my forehead. She was shaking, clearly not used to guns.

"It'll be a little messy, I warn you," I grinned. "Better than a beheading though, I hate those."

"I need you to give me the key to his chains! Ginger doesn't know where they are!"

"And what makes you think I do? I hardly have them stuffed down my bra, Sookie."

"I am not playing around Nero!"

"Neither am I," I said coolly, stretching my weary bones. "You know just a few hours ago I was saving your life, and now you wish to take mine. I was not the one to take Lafayette."

"You did nothing to save him." She threw the gun on the couch lamely.

Bill arrived like the hero he is, though not wearing a cape or tights. He and Sookie embraced. I could really vomit right now just looking at them. This is utter bullshit, Sookie just threatened to shoot me. I save her damn life – well, okay, that was Dr Ludwig but I happened to be _present _for it, which is good enough for me – and the thanks I get is having a gun held to my head? Humph. Eric strolled in with his usual slack manor, exchanging vicious words with Sookie before she slapped him. Hard.

I, surprised by her violence, was more distracted by his feet. "Are you wearing _sandals_? Zeus, I am going out with a vampire that wears _sandals_."

"They're comfy," he shrugged.

"They're hideous."

"You don't like them?"

"They make me want to gauge my eyes out. And then pour bleach in my sockets."

"Hm. I take it you really don't like them then."

"Do you really want me to be seen with you in public when you're wearing sandals?"

We were smirking at each other, turning this into a game. I stood up, moving to stand at his side and look into his eyes.

"Any woman would be glad to be seen with me whether I was wearing them or not, Nero."

"Mm, I can see the hoards of women lining up at the door right now."

"Your words hurt me deeply."

"Cry me a river you sandal-wearing weirdo-…"

"Are you two insane?" Sookie exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Both Eric and I turned our gaze to her, knowing Bill was growing fearful for her safety. "My friend is in that basement, and you tortured him, bitten him and shot him and kept him down there in his own filth for weeks!"

Wow. It really sounded bad when she put it that way, didn't it? I linked my arm with Eric's, watching the fury in Sookie's eyes.

"Is this true?" Bill asked.

"There are others who would have done far worse and you know it," Eric shrugged.

"You're gonna let him go right now, or I _swear _I am going to the police!"

Eric tensed instantly, his fangs popping out. Here we go. He leaned dangerously close to her, growling.

"I do not respond well to threats," he snarled, baring his teeth angrily. He looked very handsome.

"Eric, stop it," I whispered, tugging on his arm. A fight between Eric and Bill, though it would be fun to watch, was not something I was in the mood for tonight. Eric gave in, straightening up and glaring at Sookie. "After all, I'm pretty sure we can come to an agreement, right?"

I squeezed his arm tightly, hoping he would catch my drift.

Once we had promised Sookie Lafayette's freedom should she agree to accompany us to Dallas, she seemed to calm down a bit. She and Bill had a small argument as to her rights to make up her own mind. Eric told her he would pay for her expenses. I grinned inwardly, trying not to let it show. That also meant he would pay for me. I hear this hotel has room service. I am going to eat so many things and buy so many clothes there. I had another problem forming in my mind as Eric explained what Sookie would need to do. I would have to visit the Reapers residing in Texas to ask for their help. That would not be very pleasant, but I wouldn't tell Eric about that. He didn't need to know, after all. It would only worry him.

Pam had dragged Lafayette into the room, flinging him on the floor. Eric gave him a very…_interesting _send off, watching as Bill carried him away. I leaned on Eric's desk, right beside him.

"Tonight has been…eventful," he murmured.

"Very. But seriously Eric, burn those sandals. I can feel my eyes beginning to bleed."


	28. The Reaper Twins

**A/N:** _The facts you will read in a minute about planes just come from the internet. I know nothing about them even if I've flown a lot in my life, but oh well, you can just assume the internet tells the truth…mostly! :)_

* * *

><p>- Chapter Four –<p>

_**The Reaper Twins**_

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><p>Remember how I said Sookie Stackhouse was the most unlucky being in the entire universe? Well, I was wrong. <em>I<em> am the most unlucky being in the universe. Why? My journey to Dallas consisted of a rather large, beefy woman falling asleep on my shoulder and practically drooling all over me, a young boy of five sitting in the row beside us asking why my hair was pink and his mother beside him shrieking at the air hostess because she didn't like the plane flood she had ordered. She was one of those plastic bimbos who could barely add two plus two without the Botox in her face exploding. I don't mean to sound rude. I'm just being honest. Not only this, but we had been delayed by two hours. Sookie was as fresh as a daisy thanks to Bill Compton's fucking blood, beaming at anyone who made eye contact with her. She sat beside me, flipping through a magazine.

"How are you Nero?"

"Suicidal," I grimaced. "I hate everyone on this damn plane."

"Including me?" she asked, still beaming stupidly.

"Especially you."

She laughed, slapping my arm playfully. "Oh quit being such a sour-puss Miss Cranky! You're normally much happier than this!"

"I'm sorry, have you not noticed Godzilla here drooling a fucking fountain on me?" I glared. Sookie took one look at the chubby woman snoring beside me and burst into giggles. I bet she is loving this. As if it's some sort of pay-back for everything that happened to Lafayette. Let me tell you, Lafayette Reynolds did not know what torture was until he spent a day in my life. The boy beside me, who was actually pretty cute, had been staring at me for the entire plane ride, asking constant questions about my damn hair.

"Is pink your favourite colour?"

"No."

"What is?"

"Red."

"I like that colour too."

"Wow, your life is fascinating," I muttered, stretching awkwardly in my seat. Eric would definitely not fit into these. I looked over at Sookie. "Did you know if you fly internationally your chances of dying are one in ten million?"

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Stop it Nero, stop trying to make me nervous."

"Don't be nervous. It's twenty-two times safer to fly in a plane than a car."

"I don't want to know what my chances of dying are in a plane Nero!"

"Oh please," I snorted. "Even if this hunk of metal crashes, chances are you would survive before I did."

"What makes you think that?" she asked curiously. She asked the air hostess to bring her a few drinks. Apparently she was nervous thanks to me.

Is she serious? "Sookie, you have almost died more in the past few months than I have in years. Just saying."

She frowned, mulling this over. "You can't die though, can you?"

I shrugged. "If I'm stabbed too many times, I won't be able to heal myself in time and will more than likely die. If I am shot in the head, I die instantly. When I'm shot, I can sometimes push the bullet out myself like the vampires do, but that's a little difficult. Or, I'd have to just…I don't know, cut it out myself with a knife or something. I've done that before. Hurt like hell."

"You remember…in Fangtasia, when you woke up?"

"Hm, and you held a gun to my head," I nodded, shoving the fat lady off me. She woke with a start, before she snored softly and fell asleep against the small window of the plane. "Fun times."

"Well, you said you'd been beheaded."

I nodded again. "Yup."

"What is it…like?"

I laughed loudly, causing the Botox-ridden woman across the way from us to send me daggers. I wonder if she has a vampire husband on this airline. She has a son though. Vampires don't re-produce. Unless her husband has only recently been turned. Sookie was staring at me. Oops, I had almost forgotten her question. "Uh, it's…it's kind of hard to explain. I can't remember it all, seeing as I was headless, but when I woke up I was my usual self. A little sore around the neck for a day or two, but I was myself."

"Does your head grow back?" she asked. I think Sookie is a little tipsy.

"I don't know, Sook, I wasn't there to witness my rebirth. Hey, we should add that to our to-do list. Chop off my head and see if it grows back. Wouldn't that be really weird?"

Sookie had paled considerably. Huh. And I thought she had a strong stomach.

When we landed, the Godzilla woman beside me finally woke up, burped and then rudely brushed past me to get off the plane as quickly as possible. The little boy beside me told me once more how much he loved my hair and that he wanted to copy me before his mother yanked him away, glaring menacingly at me. Sookie, like that mother, grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the stairs that would get us off this God-forsaken plane. The poor air-hostess with a frazzled expression smiled at us and bade us a good time in Dallas. Yeah right.

Sookie took careful steps down those stairs. She glanced around her, spotted a man in a suit by the limo and called out to him cheerfully, "Yoo-hoo!"

The urge to kick her down those stairs was strong, but I resisted. Why is she so damn peppy? She held one of her alcoholic little drinks in her hand, swaying slightly. The bald man in the suit held a sign that read 'COMPTON PARTY'. I imagined a party hosted by Bill instead, where we played checkers and marvelled about the Civil War all night long instead of actually having fun. Sookie wobbled towards him, and I left her to it. A limo waited beside this one, which read 'NERO NORTHMAN'. I blinked in surprise. Nero Northman? He gave me his surname? Odd. I don't _have _a surname at all. Perhaps you need one in order to book a limousine?

"Goodbye Stackhouse. Try not to get murdered while I'm gone okay."

She shot me a dizzy, tipsy sort of smile. Weirdo. Apparently they gave her more bottles of alcohol than she could manage. I made my way to my limo, slightly puffing with pride when the handsome, twenty-something man in a suit asked, "Hello ma'am, are you Nero Northman?" to which I replied rather happily, "Yes I am indeed!"

"Get your hands off me!" Sookie screamed from across the way.

Oh, wow, look at that, five minutes in Dallas and already Sookie's life is in danger. What a fucking surprise. I sighed tiredly, slipping into my limo. The human driver hesitated, glancing at me. Bill had leapt from his coffin in time to save Sookie's life, another shocker I didn't see coming.

"Should we check on those people, Mrs Northman?"

I grinned at him, grabbing the handle of my door. "Trust me, sweetheart, Sookie Stackhouse can handle herself." Then I slammed the door shut and smiled to myself. _Mrs_ Northman, how hilarious.

* * *

><p>In my attempt to escape this hotel, I was caught by Bill Compton. In the elevator. How awkward. I smiled and nodded at him as he got in, clicking a button and putting his hands behind his back. He rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet. The elevator music made me feel morbidly depressed, especially with Bill standing beside me. He cast a glance at me. "So…are you going out?"<p>

"You could say that," I nodded. He quirked an eyebrow.

"Shopping?"

"Not exactly."

"Has Eric arrived yet?"

"Nope."

"When do you expect him?"

"Probably tomorrow night."

"I thought you would have flown together."

"We didn't."

"You are behaving very…strangely tonight, Nero."

"And you are being very nosey tonight, Bill."

He smiled. "My apologies, I did not mean to intrude."

"If you must know, I am going to visit some friends," I said. 'Friends' being the nicest thing I could possibly call the Reaper Twins. Bill did not know that they were violent, idiotic Reapers. Or that they would probably break every bone in my body by the end of the night.

Bill seemed surprised. "I didn't know you had friends in the Dallas area."

"You know me William, I'm a social butterfly." A social butterfly who happens to be friends with a pair of violent, vicious twins who will gladly hurt me as a 'joke'. The twins I am meeting, they love to fight. And if I am to get any information from them about Godric, I will have to play their game. But two against one isn't going to do anything for me. Bill frowned.

"Are you okay, Nero? You seem…preoccupied."

"No, I'm fine, Bill," I smiled. "How is Sookie, by the way? I noticed her near-kidnapping a while ago."

"Yes," he growled. "Which is exactly why I wanted to see Eric."

I watched the buttons with the floor numbers lighting up as we got closer to the lobby. An electronic, female voice called out the floor number before the doors opened. Bill got out, blocking the doors to stop them closing.

"I hope you enjoy your meeting with yours friends, Nero."

"Thanks, I do too." I really, _really _did.

* * *

><p>An alleyway. How original. Of course, those two bastards wanted to meet somewhere where we wouldn't be seen and could conduct our business in private. Daum and Gaum always liked their privacy. Yes, those really <em>are <em>their names. They are Egyptian, handsome and violent. A weird combination, but there you have it. I crept as quietly and slowly into the alleyway as I could. It was lit with one single streetlight, casting an eerie orange glow. Creepy much?

Suddenly, I went crashing to the ground, finding a man who was the same height as Eric sitting on top of me, holding me down. I knew instantly it was Gaum. He gave me a punch as a 'hello', I suppose. I kicked him hard in the stomach, forcing him to roll away from me. Next was Daum, who took me from behind, wrapping his arms around the waist, throwing me against a brick wall. Ouchie, ouchie, ouchie!

"Hiya Nero!" Gaum grinned, sitting Indian-style on the concrete ground.

"Fuck off Gaum," I muttered, rubbing my newly-formed black eye.

Daum clapped me on the back. "That was a pretty good kick you gave my brother, Nero!"

"Gee, thanks _buddy_," I glared.

He laughed and punched my arm so hard it went numb. I winced, biting on my lip and drawing blood. Screaming is a weakness in the twins' eyes. It would only entice them to keep going. "We did not expect you to come to Dallas!"

"Yes, Nero," Gaum nodded. Why did they have such fucking stupid names? "We are glad to see you! We missed you!"

I did not miss them, as if that wasn't obvious enough. Twins are very, very rare in our world. We don't have family, even if Grim considers us all to be related through him. I'm not even sure I've ever even _heard _of another pair of twins in our world. To even have a blood-related sister or brother is really something to marvel at, but to have a pair of twins is mind-boggling. For some insane reason, Grim brought both of them back to life when they died. As if one of them wasn't bad enough.

They're gorgeous, with black unruly hair, olive skin and green eyes, identical in almost every way. Gaum has a small scar on his nose and a beauty spot beneath his left eye, whereas Daum has a red line across his lip from where he was in a fight during his human life. They never say much about their human lives. I don't even know how they died, only that they both have identical scars over their hearts in the shape of an 'X'. I found it odd, but honestly I was just goggling them when they were shirtless, because they're so amazingly sexy. Don't mention that to Eric, okay? That was just between us.

Luckily, I've never had to live with them. I've just had to put up with constant pain whenever I am around them. You see, in the twins' eyes, I need something from them. I might be their elder, but they have a golden opportunity to fight with me, but I can't hurt them too badly, otherwise they won't tell me what I need to know in order to find Godric.

I smiled tensely at Gaum. "Did you really miss me?"

"A-huh, no one fights with us like you do! Hey, do you remember the time you broke all of Ursula's bones and-…"

"Shut up Gaum, Ursula is dead now, Nero does not want to be reminded of it," Daum said.

They got into their own fight, rolling on the ground, punching and biting each other. Finally, they stood up, black eyes and split lips galore, grinning stupidly at me.

"So, now that you two idiots have finished your annoying fighting, do you have anything for me?"

They glanced at each other, sharing a secret I wanted to know. "Well, you'll have to find out, won't you Nero?"

They both lunged for me at the same time. Yup, Sookie Stackhouse certainly wasn't the most unlucky person in the world. I knew that the moment I hit the ground.


	29. Love Love Love

**A/N: **_I've been away with some friends for a while (__you know, my youth and all that fun stuff…) and so I apologise from the bottom of my heart that you have not had any Nero recently. My bad. But I was thrilled to read all the lovely reviews when I returned home! It made me so happy! THANK YOU :)_

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><p>- Chapter Five –<p>

**_Love Love Love_**

* * *

><p>I know what you're thinking; when attacked by two strong, aggressive male Reapers, I conquered them within moments without a scratch. I triumphantly beat the twins within an inch of their useless lives and proudly made them spill their secrets to me. Then, like the hero that I wish I was, I flew off and ultimately saved Godric and then did a cheesy smile and wink before the credits began rolling. Boy, do I wish I could tell you that happened. Instead of this, I was struggling to breathe and had an Egyptian Reaper biting hard on my neck as if he were a vampire. Gaum weighs a tonne and was much taller than me, making it difficult to kick away. When I finally managed it, I let out a triumphant war-cry. Of course, Daum chose that moment to slam me into a wall. I could feel my wrist snap, because I stupidly put my hand out to soften the blow. Well, I softened it alright. My nose was pouring blood like a fountain, my leg was twisted painfully but thankfully not broken and my eyes were burning. Ouch.<p>

Gaum had bitten my neck quite hard. Daum threw some punches, but I blocked those with my good hand, kicking him in the ribs. I heard one crack, and cackled with glee. How does it feel now buddy? It was hardly a fair fight anyway. Two against one, really? I might be older than them, but I could only take so much. My wrist wasn't healing itself, which was a very bad sign. I couldn't handle much more of this. I bet if it were Sookie fighting them instead of me, she'd be doing much better, because Bill Compton would probably fly here wearing tights and a cape and save the day. I wonder what Bill would even look like in tights. _Ew, ew, ew, I think I'm going to vomit, oh my Zeus that is the worst image I have ever imagined, ew. _

For once, I was glad Gaum flung himself at me, because all thoughts of Bill in tights vanished. Reapers are exceptionally fighters, and no more so than these two. We fell to the ground, snarling and growling, until Gaum burst out laughing. Slightly baffled, I watched him stand up, stretch like a cat and then lend me a hand. I took it gratefully, standing up. He clapped me on the back, putting an arm around my shoulder. "You see Nero? You always put up a good fight!"

"Um…thank you?"

"My brother and I, we will tell you the secret now!" Daum said, strolling towards us. He sniffled, wiping a trail of blood from his broken nose. We all looked dreadful, there was no denying that.

I rolled my eyes. "Finally. Do we always have to fight like this?"

"We used to do this in our human lives, Nero," Gaum sighed. "We fought for everything we had. Food, money, clothes. It was gambling, our only way of surviving. If we won a fight, we were rewarded with the things we wanted most! And so we fight with you. You have succeeded, now we give you what you want."

"Brilliant," I smiled, genuinely happy as I cradled my broken wrist. It was throbbing painfully hard, and if it weren't for Gaum's arm around my shoulder, I probably wouldn't be able to stand up due to the crippling pain running through my left leg.

"You must be extremely desperate to go through all this pain for a vampire, Nero," Daum murmured doubtfully. "I have never seen you care so much for another being like this."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I've heard that a billion times already Daum. What do you two know?"

"We believe it is the Fellowship who has taken your friend's friend. Godric, did you say?"

"Fellowship?"

"Fellowship of the Sun, a church that specifically hates vampires," Gaum explained. "They are the only people we know in Dallas that would ever even consider taking a vampire."

"Hm, perhaps they have already staked him," Daum said thoughtfully.

"Wouldn't that be a shame," Gaum nodded sarcastically. "One less vampire in the world."

"Shut it, both of you, or I will make you," I threatened darkly. They grinned. "But thank you for this."

"Cato wasn't kidding, she has changed! Nero said thank you!" they said in unison. How do they do that? I mean really, that was quite impressive, saying the exact same thing at the same time. Kind of makes me wish I had a twin. Then again, I would hate to have another person that looked just like me, because I like to be myself.

"Alright, alright, we're done here," I said. "I'll see you two in another thousand years, hopefully."

"Ah, you owe us Nero. We might be calling on you sooner than you think!" Daum winked.

"Try not to miss us too much, as we will miss you Nero," Gaum smirked. They hugged me at once, taking me by surprise. I yelped a little at the pressure Gaum put on my bruised arms. They waved once and vanished into the darkness. Despite their violent ways, the Reapers Twins could be very useful. Hm. Perhaps I'd miss them. Just a little. I spotted my reflection in a window as I began making my way back to the hotel. I took one look at myself and decided that maybe I really wouldn't miss them after all.

* * *

><p>"Oh my gosh, ma'am, are you okay?"<p>

A woman who looked no more than eighteen came rushing towards me in her hotel uniform, looking quite alarmed by my bloody appearance. A few curious and shocked glances were cast our way by hotel workers and guests alike. I had had to stop every few moments on my way back to Hotel Carmilla because of my damn leg, and now that I was finally here, I wasn't about to give up now. I had one hand on the wall, putting all my weight on my right leg. It was excruciatingly painful, and at one point I thought I'd pass out. I wasn't seeing stars, I was seeing dark black spots in front of me. The woman was shorter than me, and really pretty with tanned skin and sandy blonde hair. She put a hand on my shoulder, and I winced.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"I really think we should call an ambulance, you need to go the hospital right away-…"

"Listen, kid, I don't have time for this. I am fine. I promise you by tomorrow I will be all cleaned up. If not, then I will go to the damn hospital, okay?"

Almost reluctantly, she nodded, stepping back. If she stopped pestering me, I could focus on healing myself. I smiled at her, and took a deep breath before I began walking through the hotel lobby all by myself. I knew she was still watching me, clearly concerned. I was searching for a particular blond Viking vampire, of course. I saw Bill first, slumped in his chair, glaring angrily at the ground. Eric sat beside him, with a bottle of TruBlood resting on the table between them. They were probably fighting like school children again.

I limped towards them, wishing my wrist would heal already. Why is it taking so long?

Bill spotted me first, glancing behind him. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open just as it had on the night I had been shot in the head. Ah, good memories. "Nero?"

"The one and only," I smiled weakly. Eric had turned his head to look at Bill in surprise, but upon following Bill's gaze he landed on me. His eyes widened like Compton's had, and he jumped from his seat and rushed to my side, looking me up and down with a certain kind of fury burning in his eyes. I swayed slightly when I put too much weight on my foot, clenching my fists.

"Who did this to you Nero?" Eric growled. "What happened?"

"I have good news, boys," I smiled. "I think I know who took Godric!"

"The Fellowship of the Sun," Bill answered. "That was our guess."

My smile vanished, replaced with anger. "What? How the fuck did you know that?"

"Did they do this to you?" Eric asked, clenching his fists.

"Huh? No, no," I muttered, becoming utterly confused. "Bill, you mean to tell me I went through all of this" – I motioned to my bloody wounds – "for _nothing_?"

"The man who tried to kidnap Sookie at the airport said he worked under the Fellowship's orders."

I stared at him. "Why didn't you tell me that in the elevator you stupid fucking asshole?"

Both of them seemed surprised by my sudden anger. I must admit, I felt a little guilty for snapping at Bill, who glanced up at Eric as if looking for back-up.

"Nero, you need to tell us what happened to you," Eric urged.

"I had to fight with two Reapers in order for them to tell me what happened to Godric."

"Are you fucking insane?" Eric snarled. It was my turn to be surprised. "How could you put yourself in danger like that?"

"Didn't I tell you I'd help you find Godric?"

Eric, you heard me when I said I would do anything. Did you think I was playing around? Reapers take promises seriously. If I promised to help, I will die – well and truly _die_, no coming back – before I let you down."

Eric was entirely speechless, just staring at me with those icy blue eyes. Bill cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him. Eric didn't look away from me. He didn't even blink. He gave no indication, not even a flicker, that he even remembered Bill was here. "That is very selfless of you, Nero," Bill murmured, smiling wryly.

"Hey, I'm not a complete monster. When I love someone, I intend to show it. Like you do for Sookie."

Eric and I made our way back to our hotel room, parting ways with Bill. I held Eric's hand, and yet he was silent for the entire journey. Once we were in our room, he sat on the couch, his eyes unblinking. That was really starting to creep me out. I closed the door with a soft _click_. I felt like if I made too much noise, it would startle him or something. I moved to stand in front of him, and he suddenly stood up, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me tightly to his chest. Eric is affectionate, sure, but I didn't expect this at all. He sniffed my hair, whispered something in Swedish and pulled away from me.

Oh wow. His eyes were brimming with bloody tears. I must admit, I had no idea what to do. I had never seen Eric so emotional. He rarely showed this much all at once. His eyes held happiness, sadness, love. "I love you, Nero."

I smiled happily. "I love you too Eric!"

"Don't do this to yourself ever again, Nero," he warned.

I rolled my eyes. "I have survived a thousand years on my own, Eric. I can handle myself."

"Just because you can't die easily doesn't mean you should be reckless."

"Stop worrying about me, grandma."

He scowled, but he wasn't truly mad. "You're not healing, Nero. Would you like some of my delicious blood to help the process?"

I grinned at his trick to try and get me to drink his blood. "Nice try vamp, nice try."

He shrugged. "Worth a shot."


	30. The Deal

**A/N: **_Hey guys. I haven't updated in a while because I was distracted by another story I made. I'm so very sorry for that! But thanks for the reviews and alerts and follows! I love you guys! :) And in the next chapter, I'm thinking of bringing Lorena in. A little revenge for Eric to Bill after this particular chapter. And seeing as she's in it anyway I thought why not! And after that we have the lovely Fellowship, which I look forward to writing._

* * *

><p>- Chapter Six -<p>

_**The Deal**_

* * *

><p>Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, mermaids and mermen, ghouls and ghosts, I have wonderful news. I know, I know, you're just <em>dying <em>to know what that news may be. Have patience! All will be revealed, but first let me tell you how this all came about. It happened in an elevator. With that electronic female voice that freaked me out telling me what floor I was on. I clicked the ground floor, slipping on a straw as I drank my Coca-Cola. Before those metal doors could shut and the elevator music that sounded like funeral music to me could start playing, a pale white hand stopped the doors from shutting. In stepped Bill Compton, looking pretty shifty. He wore the typical leather jacket, jeans and black boots. He had that whole 'I'm-one-tough-vampire' thing going on. I look much less threatening in my over-sized Superman t-shirt – did I mention I had a growing fascination with superheroes and comic books lately? – and some leggings. I hadn't bothered with shoes, only socks. Hey, I wasn't planning on going out or anything, I just wanted to grab myself some damn Cola. I was bored in our room, and rather than order from room service, I decided to get off my lazy butt and do it myself. Bill looked me up and down, a highly judgemental look on his face. I scowled at him.

"What are _you _looking at?"

He smirked. "You look much better than when I last saw you, Nero. You've healed up nicely."

I smiled. "Is that all you wanted of me, Bill, to see my beautiful face?"

"Actually, no. I had an ulterior motive."

"An ulterior motive for getting into an elevator with me, Bill. My, you certainly are a mastermind, there's no way I'm going avoid you now," I murmured sarcastically, watching the row of buttons above the elevator door as the letters glowed in response to what floor we were on. Patience, Nero, patience. I began rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet. The floors of this hotel were so comfy and soft I don't know why I ever bothered with shoes in the first place.

"Nero, Sookie is going to be in grave danger-.." he began.

"Oh wow that's a plot twist I didn't see coming in our weird lives, William. When is Sookie _not _in trouble? I mean really, Grim has it out for her."

Clearly, Bill almost lost his temper right there and then. I saw him bit down on his lower lip and clench his fists. He shut his eyes momentarily, before opening them to plead with me. "Nero, Sookie has volunteered to go into the Fellowship to search for Godric with Isabella's human, Hugo. I…need to ask a favour of you. I would be eternally grateful if you would accompany them. I would feel much better in the knowledge that a Reaper as strong as yourself is there."

I raised an eyebrow. "Bill, let me get this straight. Sookie is going to infiltrate the Fellowship."

"Yes."

"And you want me to protect her, all because you would be 'eternally grateful.'"

"…Yes."

"Yet Sookie is doing this entirely of her own free will."

"…Yes."

"Seems pretty stupid to me, Bill."

"What do you mean?" he asked angrily, his Southern accent suddenly becoming much deeper.

I turned to face him, taking a sip of my drink before I began my speech. "William, remind me what Sookie possesses."

"Excuse me?"

"What Sookie _has_."

"The ability to read minds..." he said unsurely.

"No. Well, yes, she does, but she has something else called _free will_. Meaning if she wants to drink something, she'll drink it. If she wants to dance, she'll dance. If she wants to infiltrate a possibly murderous vampire-hating church, she'll do it. And I don't think Eric will be very happy if I go rushing in there myself to protect your little Southern Belle."

"Oh, so you need Eric's permission to do anything? Where is _your _free will, Nero?"

I smirked. "Touché, Compton. I don't need Eric's permission. I just don't _want _to go in there in the first place."

"Sookie is your friend, is she not?"

I was briefly reminded of Lafayette saying something similar to this. It seems being 'friends' means putting my life in danger, especially when it comes to Sookie Stackhouse, who is a magnet for death and misery. "Yes, you have a point there. But really I don't feel like dying any time soon. It's so tiresome, William."

"Nero, how can you be so selfish!" he demanded.

"Me, selfish?" I asked. "You are asking me to _die_ for you and Sookie. If that isn't selfish I don't know what is."

"You would just return to life!"

I laughed bitterly. "Mm, because it really is _that _easy Bill," I snapped sarcastically. "Don't you realize how painful it is? How traumatic it is? No, I don't suppose you would."

His fangs were close to coming out in anger, I could tell. If Bill wanted a fight, I was ready for him. If I could take on Gaum and Daum, who were bigger, older and stronger, then I could handle Bill fucking Compton. Although I _was _wearing one of my new favourite shirts. Wouldn't want that to get bloody in this fight. Bill's mind was trying to come up with some way of appeasing me, I could tell.

"What do you want, Nero? Money? I'll give you anything. I'll _owe _you anything!"

I paused, my anger evaporating. Owe me? That sounded very nice indeed. He said 'anything'. Meaning I could make him do _anything_. If I wanted, I could make him get a sex change. I could make him become an exotic dancer. I could make him learn ballet if I wished. Huh. The possibilities are endless. Would it be worth it?

"Throw five thousand dollars into the deal."

He was clearly debating with himself. "Fine," he muttered gruffly.

"And you have to be the one to tell Eric."

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to tell him at all."

"Nice try Compton, but I'm not lying to him. You're telling him, or I don't do it."

"Fine. It's a deal."

"Ah, wait! One more thing. You have to sign a contract."

"Contract?" he repeated in an astonished voice.

"Yes. If I ever call on this favour you now owe me, I need to know you won't try to weasel your way out of it. I'm a thousand years old Bill. I'm not stupid. You sign, we have a deal."

Another moment of hesitation. "Fine, I'll sign. It's a deal."

We shook hands. "Did you know in ancient civilizations they used to shake hands just to make sure the other person was unarmed or concealing a weapon?" I asked, smirking.

He seemed surprised. "No, I did not."

"Oh, you learn things with age, William. Someday you will be half as intelligent as I," I joked. Or rather, half-joked. "Now come on. We have a contract to draw up and sign. And you have Eric Northman to answer to. I wish you luck. But first…let's go get some cola!"

* * *

><p>"Sign here. And here. No, not there, here. Initials there and another signature down there. Great. That's all, William."<p>

Bill sighed, leaning back in his seat. He glanced at Jessica, who was watching us curiously. I had returned to Bill's room in order to sort this deal out, using the paper that comes in the hotel room to write our deal. We had yet to tell Eric. Jessica seemed to be extremely happy and I don't know why. I didn't really care, either. I was more concerned with this precious piece of paper lying on the tale. Bill rubbed his temples. "Nero, you realize you will have to wear one of Sookie's dresses. And a wig, too."

"Excuse me? Why should I? I look just fine."

"They won't believe you are Sookie's sister if you wear…that," he ended lamely, pointing at my Superman t-shirt. "And the pink hair."

I scowled at him, highly offended. "I don't want to wear a granny cardigan or a dress that hides my ankles, Bill, we're not back in your era. Lighten up. That church should be fucking lucky to have me."

"You see, things like that Nero, you can't curse or insult people."

"Yeah," Jessica agreed. "You have to be all peppy and pretend you're in High School Musical or something."

"What the Hell is High School Musical?"

Jessica opened her mouth to inform me of this odd high-school in which everyone seems to be singing and dancing, but Bill cut her off. "If I found you a blonde wig, would you wear it? And one of Sookie's dresses?"

"Where are you gonna get a wig? Don't tell me you have a closet of wigs, Bill. Honestly, just tell me, if you are a cross-dresser I will accept you for who you are, buddy."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm serious Nero. You need to look respectable, as if you're really interested in becoming a Fellowship member."

I sighed tiredly. Jessica giggled at me. "C'mon Nero, it ain't all that bad! I've been going to church my whole life! You can handle one day, surely."

"I don't know how to act religious Jessica. I'm not even sure of what you _do _at a church. Reapers can follow a religion if they want to, Grim has never told us not to, but we just don't bother much. I can take a wild stab at it for Sookie's sake I suppose."

"Good. I'll find you some clothes," Bill said.

"Not right now you won't. You have Eric to talk to first. Come on."

Bill reluctantly followed me back to our hotel room. I let him go first, sitting outside in the hallway for five minutes until I heard someone roar. Great. Looks like Bill broke the news. Our room door swung open, and Eric stomped out. His eyes looked to his left first, before he turned his right and his eyes landed on me. Rather sheepishly, I smiled at him. "Hello Eric," I said weakly, waving.

"In. _Now_," he growled, pointing at the hotel room. Like a child in deep trouble, I stood, sighing and walking into the room. Bill sat on the lovely, comfortable sofa, hands clasped in his lap. Our eyes met, and we both understood that we were in this together.

"You want to _protect _Sookie?" Eric asked, his fists clenched as he rounded on me after slamming the door shut.

"That is the main idea, yes."

"And risk your own life?"

"Nero has the ability to die and return again, Eric, she-…"

"_Shut up_!" he barked at Bill, making me jump. I hadn't realized he would be _this _angry. "Just because she can die doesn't mean she has to go through the pain, Bill! How would you feel if it was the opposite way around? Sookie is the one who would have to protect Nero. You would never allow it."

"Guys?" I began carefully.

"And wouldn't you still _try _to get Sookie to help if it was the other way around, Eric?"

"That isn't the point. I'm not going to let you put Nero in danger. Sookie agreed to go into the Fellowship. That is not Nero's problem."

"Sookie did it to find Godric! Or have you forgotten that?"

"Gentlemen?" I sighed.

"Don't question me about Godric, you have no idea-.."

"BE QUIET."

They both froze in surprise, looking at me with shocked eyes. Eric straightened up from his crouched position.

"Have you both forgotten something? I am a thousand years old. I can make my own decisions. Yes, Bill, I can't die easily but it is horribly painful and it scars me every single time. I hate it. And Eric, I love you for caring, but you vampires seem to think that calling me 'yours' means I'll do whatever the heck you say without thinking for myself. If I want to go with Sookie, I can go with Sookie. I am not an object for you to own. I am not anyone's. I am Nero."

I marched towards my bedroom, pausing at the door.

"Oh, and Eric?" I smiled. He nodded, looking slightly astonished by my outburst. "Bill owes me. I could make him have a sex change if I wanted to. Night, boys."

And that was that.


	31. We Meet Again

**A/N:** _I could bore you with the details of why I'm so late with my updates. Or, I could simply tell you that you are awesome for waiting. Thanks guys! _

* * *

><p><em><em>- Chapter Seven -

_**We Meet Again**_

* * *

><p>Bill, being as soul-crushingly boring as he always is, made me dress like a ninety-year-old granny with crippling arthritis and zero fashion sense when I had to enter the Fellowship. If it turns out they did take Godric, all I have to do is show them my outfit and they'll be begging for us to show mercy and spare their lives, that's for sure. A hideous green granny cardigan, a sunshine yellow dress with pretty blue birds – I actually liked the dress itself, I think I'll hang onto this – and some green pumps. I'm positive Bill is stuck in some other dimension where all women dress in order to repulse everyone around them. Even my wig was dull and depressing. It was blonde, which I liked, but it wasn't bright like Sookie's. I would have preferred peroxide, even, but no. Bill had to pick the dullest of colours. Sookie had already entered the Fellowship. I was a teensy, weensy bit late. She would go by the name Holly Simpson. Hugo went by the name Rufus Dobson. I chose the name Rose, because I thought it was beautiful. Rose Simpson. I sighed, leaning back in my seat. Bill couldn't stop me adding some red lipstick to my look just to brighten it up a tad. Slowly I stepped out of the car, fixing my short wig. It was curled, which I liked. Only it was itchy because all of my real, long hair was bunched up beneath it. The things I do for friends.<p>

I entered that church with my head held high, glancing around in disapproval. Church – and religion in itself – had never truly interested me. Ever since I was hung by order of the church – long story and a witch-hunt gone wrong, but I'll tell you about that some other time – we haven't had a good relationship. I imagined bringing Daum and Gaum along with me to help me find Godric. They would destroy this church in minutes. Far too reckless. They don't have all the stealth or skill that I do. I came to a stop at the doors of the large hall, not sure of what to do exactly. Protecting Sookie was my reason for being here, of course, but as far as I knew she was not in any immediate danger. So I wandered around, carefully avoiding any members. If I heard someone coming, I would hide.

"…I don't care what anyone says about vampires being able to control themselves. I know better. I know that every single one of them is a vicious, blood-thirsty killer."

Well look-y here, it seems I have found Miss Stackhouse. Her voice, firm and strong, came from behind a door at the end of a hallway. I snuck carefully toward it, leaning one ear against the door. It wasn't eavesdropping, was it?

"I agree," another female voice answered breathlessly. "They just can't be trusted." This must be Sarah Newlin.

"I am glad you see things our way, Miss Simpson," a male voice said cheerfully, as he clapped his hands together in delight. Steve Newlin.

Someone cleared their throat, and the room went silent for a few moments. Well, this seems like a good time as any. I knocked three times before walking in. Sookie, of course, knew exactly who I was and her eyes narrowed dangerously. Jessica had told me to act peppy, as if butter wouldn't melt, and pretend I was happy all the time. I could do that. Easy peasy vampire-hating-church squeasy.

"Hey Holly! Gee whiz, it took me so darn _long _to find you guys!" I grinned, walking right in. I stuck my hand out to a bewildered Steve Newlin. "Howdy, I'm Rose! Holly's sister! Sorry I'm late, traffic was a bi-…" I stopped myself from saying 'bitch', and said, "…big problem. Really. Nice to meet you."

Sarah took control easily, shaking my hand and smiling with her pearly whites at me. "Well hi there Rose. Holly didn't mention you were coming."

"I told her I mightn't be able to make it, but aren't we lucky I did?"

"Yes. We are," Sookie snarled through gritted teeth.

"We sure are!" Sarah said brightly. I had a feeling I would hate her guts. "We are just delighted to have you here Rose, are you hoping to join the church too?"

"Oh yes ma'am, if y'all would be kind enough to have me that is! I'm gonna be Holly's Maid of Honour, ain't that just sweet?"

Sarah was clearly taken by me. Can't say I blame her. I am a damn good actress. I deserve an award for this. "Aw, that is just too cute. Steve, ain't that just wonderful?"

"It sure is," he beamed.

These people make me want to vomit. I can literally feel myself growing nauseous. "Y'all don't have a bathroom?"

Sarah's face seemed as if it would split in half from her smiling. "Down the hall to the right, sweetie!"

Great. I patted Sookie's shoulder as I left, but she moved away from me as if I stung her. Sigh.

As soon as I entered the hallway, a new scent had distracted me, and I failed to make out the hum of voices coming from behind that door once it had closed behind me. The scent was too familiar. A sweet kind of scent. Like honey. Curiously I followed it. It felt as if I knew it, yet I couldn't think of who it was. Sneaking stealthily, I came to a room with the door wide open. I glanced in quickly, trying not to be caught. I would blow the whole thing. I couldn't be caught. My excuse of 'I couldn't find the bathroom' would only stretch so far.

Oh Zeus. There was a woman, with long blond hair facing away from me. I knew that scent anywhere. It was Lily, the girl who had been there when I was shot by her boyfriend Alex in the forest, and the girl who had been there for Alliyah's death. If I were a vampire, my fangs would have came out right then. I clenched my fists, ready to beat her senseless. Only I heard a soft cry, and I froze. She was crying her eyes out. I paused, unsure of what to do. I hate to see people cry. It makes me uncomfortable.

I took a few cautious, quiet steps towards her. She was crying over a photograph. I rolled my eyes. Are you serious?

"Nice to see you again, Lily."

She didn't scream as loudly as I expected her to. She let out a half-sob, half-shriek and spun around, still on the ground. She dropped the photo. I picked it up, gazing at it curiously. It was of her and Alex, no doubt about that. They were much younger in it, probably fresh out of high-school judging by her dodgy haircut and Alex's lanky posture. Lily was staring at me blankly. Again, I rolled my eyes, pulling my wig off. Her eyes widened.

"What's the matter Lillian, couldn't tell who I was because of my stupid wig, hm?"

"I-I…Nero…what are you doing here?"

I smiled, putting my wig back on. "Oh, thought I'd drop by and see what all the fuss was about. Why are you in this church anyway? Do you think I wouldn't kill you in a church if I found you? Sorry Lily, I'm not that all that holy. What are you doing here?"

She let out another sob. "I don't know anymore. I just don't…we…we ran from Shreveport. We kept driving until we reached Texas and…the Fellowship took us in."

"How kind of them. Did you mention your love of witchcraft to them?"

"No," she growled fiercely. "We'll never have anything to do with that ever again! We're good now!"

"Yet you are in a church that hates vampires. You go from hating one creature to another. Give me one reason why I shouldn't snap your neck right now, Lily."

"Because I won't let you!"

I jumped in surprise at the new voice, thinking I had been caught by the Newlins. I spun on my heels, looking into the eyes of Alex. He was standing unusually close to me, and it took a moment to realize why. My sunshine yellow dress was now beginning to turn a bloody red colour at the waist. He had stabbed me. I groaned in pain and annoyance. "Not this again," I growled as he pulled away the knife, breathing heavily, his eyes wide. "Why is it…whenever I meet you two… I end up in pain?"

Alex did not wait, he stabbed me again. And again. And again. I heard a very loud, terrified scream, but it wasn't mine. I made sure not to scream. It sounded like…Sookie? Aw hell. Well, she'd have to wait a minute, I'm a little busy right now. I grabbed Alex's wrist, snapping it in order to stop him. Boy, could that guy scream. Lily was shrieking as loudly as Ginger. I couldn't do anymore to Alex, due to the pain I was in. I leaned against the wall, grunting when a fresh wave of pain hit me. Why me? I felt a hot tear trickle down my cheek. Great, now I'm crying.

Alex, using his good hand that was not snapped like a twig, grabbed Lily. "Run, come on!"

"You're gonna…run again?" I yelled at them. "You know I'll find you…wherever you go! I will get you back for this!"

I should have killed her when I had the chance. I gripped my stomach, growling in frustration. This had gone horribly wrong all within a few seconds. Bill would murder me for letting anything happen to Sookie. Our bargain would be off. He wouldn't get a sex change and change his name to Dolly Parton like I had planned. Hot, burning tears of pain ran down my cheeks. I ignored it, standing up. I would die before I let my bargain with Bill be wasted. I took one staggering step forward, wincing, before I took another.

Finding Sookie would be very difficult, especially if Alex and Lily alerted the rest of the Fellowship to my presence. The Newlins were, hopefully, distracted with Sookie. That wouldn't last long. They'd come to find me soon enough. Something told me Lily and Alex would be too busy running for their lives to warn them. I made it the hallway with relative speed, glancing behind me to see a small trail of blood. I rolled my eyes angrily, turning to the direction in which I had heard Sookie scream. Why does she always have to be in trouble? Does she not see what I have to go through for her? If I hadn't bothered my ass to come here, I wouldn't have met Lily and Alex again. They wouldn't have stabbed me or made a run for it, leaving me here to die (even if I'll come back to life). I'd be lying in my warm, toasty bed back at the hotel with a beautiful vampire lying beside me.

I found a door in the main hall that was locked, and I leaned against it momentarily, taking a few deep, shaky breaths. I held a hand over my wounds, even if it was pointless. I would never heal at this rate. Just think about my leg that had been damaged fighting with the Reaper Twins, that took days to heal. I didn't have that much time, from the looks of it. The large windows behind the alter told me it was already getting dark. I shut my eyes without realizing it, I was so tired. The effort of even leaning against a door was beginning difficult. All I wanted to do was sleep.

"…Gabe?" a male voice yelled, coming from behind the door. That certainly woke me up. It sounded like Hugo. "Gabe, she knows everything, you can let me out now."

'She' is more than likely referring to Sookie, seeing as everything awful has to fucking happen to her. I grimaced as I prepared to break this door down, knowing it would be highly painful for me. The things I do just to get five thousand dollars and an 'I owe you' from Bill Compton. I braced myself, taking a deep breath, before I kicked that door as hard as I could. It made a loud bang, coming loose. It would take another kick, but I had to take very deep breaths to control myself. Ow. That hurt like Hell. Ha, get it? Because I'm in a church? Even when I'm dying of stab wounds I am just hilarious. I really need to write a book about my life. The world needs to know just how funny I really am.

Again, I braced myself and kicked it wide open. I patted myself on the back. I am one tough bitch sometimes. I closed the half-broken door behind me, as it was only polite. The stairs were the hardest part. I almost fell three times, my vision growing darker. I finally made it down, entering another room. _Great, I made it. Well done, Nero. You should be proud of yourself. _

"Nero?"

Sookie's voice echoed in my brain, and I glanced around in confusion. I had almost forgotten what I was here for, the effort of getting down the stairs without falling being so great.

"Nero, what happened to you?" People seem to be asking me this a lot lately. "What were you doing when you left the room earlier?!"

"Oh you know, just…hanging out," I grimaced, leaning heavily against the wall and clutching my stomach in pain, wincing. "What about you?"

"Steve Newlin locked us down here!" she frowned, slapping the wire fence as if that would do anything.

"Really, what a surprise. Bill happened to send me here to save you but, funny story, I ran into these old friends of mine and…well, one of them stabbed me and ran away…"

"Oh God," she cried, putting a hand over her mouth dramatically. "This is awful…awful.."

"Your hair looks pretty though," I said as I slumped against the wall, falling on my ass. Black dots were in my eyes.

"Nero you need to get help, call Eric, do anything!"

"Call him with what Sookie, I'm not the fucking telepath here," I snapped, before crying out when a sudden wave of pain ran through me. "Ah this hurts way more than I remember…why couldn't they just behead me? Damn it, I'd take a simple decapitation over this any day.."

"What's she talking about?" Hugo asked, his eyes wide. "Beheading?"

"Ignore her," Sookie said. "She's delirious. Nero?"

I could hear her voice calling out to me, but I felt too tired to answer.

"Nero, don't you dare die now! We need you! Wake up!"

It was useless. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. It sucks being me sometimes.


	32. Story of my Life

**A/N:** _Hi guys! Sorry for the very late update, my bad! Here you go :)__  
><em>

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><p><em>- Chapter Eight –<em>

**Story of my Life**

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><p>A rather large, thuggish man knelt in front of me and took my chin in a python's grip. My dull, lifeless eyes bore into his, trying to remember who he is. I couldn't remember where we are, why we're here or what I was supposed to be doing. Everything <em>hurts<em>. Hurts like the six shades of Hell. I'm sitting in a pool of blood, and dully realize that it's _my_ blood. Ew, gross. Why were we sitting in my blood? The man slapped my cheek so harshly that I let out a cry of pain. I glanced down at myself in confusion, trying to make sense of this crazy world. Why was I wearing such a hideous cardigan? I don't even _like _green cardigans. Ugh, no wonder someone stabbed me wearing something as ugly as this. Wait, that's it! I was stabbed. Well, now we're getting somewhere. I was in the Fellowship, wasn't I? It felt like I wasn't even there. As if I was in some sort of hazy dream.

"When I'm finished with you, I'm gonna move onto your little pink-haired friend here. If she's still alive, that is," the brute holding my chin grunted.

Another shrill voice rings around the room. "Gabe get your hands off her you damn pig!"

I realized vaguely that it is Sookie fucking Stackhouse. If it weren't for that danger-magnet I wouldn't be sitting here dying. Why hadn't I just died yet? Did it always take this long? Humph. A simple beheading would have been wonderful. Did she call him _Gabe_? I hate the guy. I hate him so much. Gabe shoved my head against the wall, as if I didn't have enough problems to deal with. My vision blurred into darkness for a few minutes, and when I focused again, Sookie was screaming. Suddenly, it stopped. Just like that. A new figure was in the room, a man in white clothes. I held my breath, thinking Sookie had been murdered.

Damn. Bill would never get a sex change and change his name to Dolly Parton now. But then, like Angels falling from the Heavens, I heard her voice ask, "Bill?"

Was the man in the white clothes Bill?

"No, I'm here my Child….down here."

Well, that certainly isn't Bill. Another _whoosh_, and a man in a leather jacket appeared. My heart lifted with happiness. Only one Viking vampire I know can wear leather like _that_. My mind went dark for a moment, voices buzzing in the room. Drowned out by the sound of an alarm. Then, he was in front of me. Icy blue eyes staring into mine. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't make out the words. He tried to move me, and I screamed the moment his skin touched mine from the pain. My eyes shut, and everything went dark. Being immortal sucks sometimes.

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><p>When I opened my eyes again, it took a few moments to realize I was lying in a soft, comfy bed on my back, without a top on. I'm not bashful, so I wasn't very bothered. I was wearing some baggy grey sweatpants. These definitely aren't mine. Someone was sitting beside me. Not a vampire, that's for sure. They had a heartbeat. I took a deep breath, wincing when pain ran through me. It was no where near as bad as before though. That's good. It was Sookie. I knew it right away when I could smell the scent of her blood. Sookie smells sweet, let's just put it that way.<p>

"Hey Sookie."

She jumped just as she was pouring water onto a cotton pad to wipe away the blood on my stomach. She ended up dropping the bottle of water onto the carpet, cursing quietly as she rushed to pick it up before it spilled everywhere. Oops.

"Nero!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You're alive!"

"Well done Captain Obvious," I snorted. "I thought we established that I was immortal. You can't get rid of me that easily."

She surprised me when she put her arms around me in a hug. As much as I love hugs, I felt a little awkward.

"Um, Sookie, I'm shirtless you know."

She jumped back, seemingly flushed. I laughed again, truly happy that I was alive. She handed me an over-sized white shirt, and I frowned.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Here, this is the only shirt I could find in this room. It's Stan's."

"This is Stan's?" I asked, taking it from her and examining it.

"Yup," she murmured, glancing around. "Eric made sure no one would bother us while I helped clean you up."

"Where is Eric?" I asked.

"Speaking with Godric. Boy, Eric is _furious_."

"With me, I suppose."

"Oh no. Not you. With Bill," she shrugged as she wiped some blood from my stomach. I must admit, I was grateful for this. It was awful nice of her to help me.

"Poor Bill."

She put more pressure on the side of my tummy, and I squealed in pain. Sookie gasped. "Oh, crap! I'm so sorry Nero! I didn't mean to hurt you I'm just-…"

"Mad at Bill so you take it out on me," I groaned, rubbing my side. "Story of my life. Could you help me put on this shirt?"

"Of course."

It took us a few slow, gentle minutes to put on the shirt. Sookie had bandaged my stomach. I might be alive, but I wasn't fully healed. Stan is a very tall man. His shirt came to my knees. Sookie laughed at me, doubling over like it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. I glared at her, stomping out of the room – or rather, slowly shuffling out of the room – in anger. It wasn't _my _fault Lily and Alex found me. Now I had to deal with Eric. Delightful.

When he saw me, his mouth fell open and he swept me into a hug. Eric is not always so affectionate in public. He likes to put on the whole, 'I'm-a-tough-Viking-vampire-act', but he clearly didn't give a damn what anyone thought here. He rubbed my hair, kissing my forehead. I laughed with happiness as I playfully shoved him away. "Eric, what's the matter with you?"

"You were stabbed, Nero," he whispered, leaning very close to me. "Don't you think that's serious?"

"Well, yes, but you know I don't die from something like this," I whispered in an equally low tone, pointing at my tummy. "I heal."

"I…When I saw you there I really didn't think you would Nero. You looked awful."

"Hey, thanks a bunch, it isn't easy to pull off the _stabbed-and-dying _look you know," I scoffed. He chuckled and kissed me. We got a little caught up in it. I forgot all about my wounds, distracted by his sweet scent and his lips upon mine, until he moved away. I scowled, wishing to continue this, but he tapped my nose and smiled.

"I have a little problem I must take care of, Nero. I promise I won't be long," he grinned, giving me one last kiss.

"You can't just leave! I just died, Northman, I need some attention here," I muttered.

He laughed, and my knees went to jelly. Eric has that effect on me. "Trust me, you'll get it. But I must speak with Sookie's brother."

"Whatever. Watch out Eric, there are a lot of handsome vampires around here. I might just find someone else to look after me," I grinned playfully.

"Mm. It's driving me crazy just to smell Stan on you, you know," Eric growled softly, tugging on the white shirt I wore.

"Beefy, blood-thirsty cowboy vampires aren't my thing Eric. I thought you know by now that the only men I'm interested in are the Viking kind."

"Lucky me," he winked, before his eyes landed on Jason Stackhouse speaking to Godric. He kissed my forehead. "Try not to get into too much trouble."

"Eric, go easy on Sookie's brother. I like him."

Eric nodded before he left. Great. I'm alone again. I decided to speak with Godric, seeing as he was sitting all alone having spoken to an entire line of eager people. When our eyes met, he smiled. It wasn't a full smile though. Godric seemed…empty to me. Lost. He was desperately unhappy, and he knew that I knew it. He didn't bother putting up a façade with me. He simply allowed me to sit on the ground beside him.

"Hello Nero," he said softly.

"Godric," I nodded. "It's so good to see you again." I really meant it, too.

"I feel the same. I am glad you and Eric are so happy together."

"Forget about our happiness for a moment Godric," I said, before I got to my knees to look him in the eye. "What about you? The Fellowship…did they really take you?"

He stared deeply into my eyes, before he shook his head. My heart shattered. This would kill Eric, if what I feared was true. I took Godric's hand.

"You're not happy at all, are you Godric?"

Again, he shook his head. "I have lived for far too long, Nero."

I let out a snort and grinned at him. "Oh please Godric, compared to most Reapers I know, you're practically a baby! Heck, I know a guy who is almost three thousand and five hundred years old. He's a little nuts but he's a good Reaper nonetheless!"

Godric watched me with a smile. "You really haven't changed at all Nero, have you?"

"You can't change perfection, Godric."

He laughed gently, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "How are you feeling? I must say you looked quite dreadful when I found you and your friend."

"Gee thanks, Godric."

"I did not mean to offend you, Nero."

"Well, I _was _dying so I suppose I wasn't looking my best."

"You make Eric very happy," Godric said, surprising me.

"He makes me happy, too," I replied honestly.

"I heard about what happened to your friend Alliyah. I am very sorry for your loss Nero."

Whenever someone mentions Alliyah, that pain in my heart always comes back. The one I told Eric about, where it feels like there is a hole in my heart with something missing. I cleared my throat, as if that'd get rid of it, and smiled at him. Except my smile was just as sad as Godric's usually was. "Thanks, Godric. I miss her a lot."

I told him I needed to use the bathroom, but I was lying. I think he knew it, too. I went in there, sitting on the floor with my back leaning against the bathtub. I was crying not from the pain of my wounds, but because I missed Alliyah. It seemed emotionally missing someone hurts a Hell of a lot more than physical pain. I felt pretty pathetic. In the Reaper world, crying like a baby isn't seen as respectable, which is why I felt even worse. But I honestly didn't care. I just missed Alliyah. I saw that look in Godric's eye. I don't think he wants to live anymore. I hate to even think it, but it's how I feel. I don't want Eric to feel this pain. I don't want him to feel as awful as I do. I definitely don't want him to miss Godric as much as I miss my Alliyah.

It would crush Eric if Godric died. I can't let that happen.


	33. Timebomb

**A/N: **_Hey guys! I poke a little fun at Jason in this chapter, but really he is one of my favourite characters apart from Eric (duh), Pam, Lafayette and Godric. Oh, and Lafayette in the new season? __**Love him**__. Bill… well, *__**spoiler, look away now if you haven't seen this new season!* **__I loved his bromance at the start with Eric, but all this crazy Lilith stuff…I don't like it. Oh, and by the way, I hate Nora. Like crazy hate. Maybe that's just because I'm biased and prefer Nero over her but whatever! :)_

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><p><em>- Chapter Eight - <em>

**Timebomb**_  
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><p>Vampire parties are nothing compared to Reaper parties. Hell, I should spike the drinks with some hallucinogenic drugs or something. Everyone is just <em>chatting<em>. Yawn. Even Jason Stackhouse attempted to make small talk with me. When he saw me leaning against a wall in the living room, he dropped his drink, his eyes wide. I glanced at the puddle of spilled champagne now forming on Godric's expensive carpet, raising an eyebrow. Jason's mouth was hanging open, and he raised a shaky hand. Then, the weirdest thing happened. He _poked _my cheek. I mean really. I stood there, staring at him, totally baffled.

"Can I…Can I _help _you?" I asked, taking a cautious step away from him. Folks in Bon Temps thought Sookie was crazy. Clearly they hadn't met her brother.

"Are you real?"

"Last time I checked. Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"You…You were dead! At the church, I saw you! That big blond dude was carrying you and-…"

"Can you keep a secret, Mr Stackhouse?" I asked, grinning wickedly. Totally speechless, he nodded his head up and down. He would keep the secret about me not being human. If Sookie could, Jason could. And if he didn't keep it and went blabbing about town, one of three things could happen. One, people call him crazy and fling him in an asylum for talking about Reapers. Second, one of my kind would…_deal with him_. If you know what I mean. And thirdly, I could just ask Eric to Glamour him. It doesn't work on Sookie but I'm quite sure it'll work on Jason. I leaned very close to him, my mouth right against his ear. I felt his heartbeat speed up as he took deep breaths, and it made me smile. "Jesus isn't the only one who can rise from the dead, Jason."

I raised my glass in a sort of toast, winking at him. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. I grinned, unable to help myself. Then, in a low and totally serious voice he whispered, "Are you…_Jesus_?"

What the-…? I drained my drink in three gulps and handed him the glass. "No, but I'm pretty close. Think of me as the pink-haired Jesus, okay?"

Not wanting to lose my faith in humanity all together, I glanced around the room in hopes of finding a human who would give me a reason not to annihilate the entire human race just in case they turn out to be anything like Jason Stackhouse. A woman in a beautiful red dress was chatting with Sookie. My eyes lit up in malicious delight. I know, I know. Sookie is my friend and I shouldn't be excited to see her getting into an argument with a much stronger being, but I can't help myself! I'm a Reaper! I have the attention span of a squirrel. I need some sort of entertainment, I get bored easily. Jason, however, was still staring at me in awe as if I really was Jesus. The pink-haired, female version, of course.

Well look-y here. In comes Bill Compton, pushing through the crowd, looking positively livid. "Lorena!" he barked.

I heard Sookie ask, "Bill, is this your Maker?"

"Can you like, talk to God?" Jason whispered, unaware of the danger his sister was in.

I snorted. "Jason, sweetheart, if I were you, I'd be more worried about your baby sister."

His eyes followed mine to the centre of the room.

"We had two marvellous nights in your hotel room," Lorena murmured. Oh dear. This isn't going to end well at all, is it? "Hit me over the head with a 52 inch plasma television earlier tonight."

What do you know, Bill Compton is pretty darn kinky. You learn something new every day.

Lorena reached out to touch Bill, but Sookie grabbed her wrist. Oh my, this really is going to be a fantastically fun-filled night. Jason uncrossed his arms, looking mighty worried. I caught Stan's eye across the room. I realized he was enjoying this as much as I was, and I felt slightly guilty. Alliyah told me Reapers are naturally inclined to enjoy someone else's pain. The fact that it was Sookie made me feel bad, seeing as we were friends. Humph. Stan gave me a curt nod with a smirk.

"My, we're feisty too," Lorena smirked, adding a triumphant laugh. What a bitch. Suddenly I'm Team Sookie. If they get in a fight, I fully intend to kick the living shit out of Lorena. Though we're in Godric's home. Another thing Alliyah told me is to respect someone else's home. Fine. I can do that. I can break her bones in the garden if that's how it has to be. "You are no more than a blood bag. You cannot win this."

"I've already won," Sookie said. "Bill chose me. And yet, you still won't give up. Don't you have any shame?"

If Sookie is still alive in ten minutes, I am going to hug her and congratulate her on having such brazen balls.

"Sookie, stop!" Bill ordered. Cheating un-dead bastard.

"I'd listen to him," Lorena drawled. "Run away, little girl. William and I love each other."

I'll admit it, I snorted a little. She must think Bill is a real prize. Bill took her by the arms. "You've gone mad! Get out now!"

Sookie, not one for giving up easily, stormed towards her. "Maybe you do love him, who am I to guess, but he doesn't love you…he never has, and _that_…we both know!"

Ooh, that hurt Lorena right in her un-beating heart, I could tell. From the corner of my eye, I saw Godric appear at the edge of the crowd. His face was expressionless, but his fists were clenched. Aw. The party is almost over. Lorena's fangs came out. "Take those words back, or they shall be your last!"

"We're leaving," Bill growled, pushing Sookie away. If he wanted to, he really could pull Sookie away. After all, he's a vampire. Perhaps Bill is enjoying this fight over him. I bet it's the first time two women have fought this hard over him. Ha. I make myself laugh even at the worst of times.

"Go find someone else you fucking bitch, you've lost this one!"

Yes, folks, Sookie does have balls. And a lot of fucking stupidity. Lorena, being far stronger than the idiotic Bill, slammed him into the couch and grabbed Sookie's neck. Ugh, now I'm going to have to get involved and help her out. Lorena gripped Sookie's neck and slammed her into the table beside them. Jason rushed forward beside me, but before either of us did anything, Godric appeared in a flash. He gripped Lorena's neck, pulling her away from Sookie. Heck, I could hear Sookie's heartbeat from here.

Party's over. Dang.

"Retract. Your. _Fangs_."

Godric was not yelling. Not roaring. Not screaming. I think that was the scariest part. Alliyah used to do that, too. She didn't need to raise her voice to me to make me listen.

"Now," Godric finished, just as Lorena's fangs vanished. Eric appeared at Godric's side. I shot him a smile, which he returned, but his eyes were fixed entirely on his Maker within seconds. Eric thought his Maker was a God. I can't blame him, looking at Godric now.

"I neither know, nor care, who you are. But in this area, and certainly in this nest, I am the authority. Do you understand?"

Holy crap, he could give Grim a run for his money with the look in his eyes.

"Yes, Sheriff." Lorena didn't look too sure of herself anymore. Godric let her go, and she let out a deep, slow breath. Funny how vampires do that, when they don't even need to breathe.

Godric looked at Sookie. "This human has proven herself to be a courageous…and loyal friend to our kind. And yet you treat her like a child does a dragonfly, pulling off wings for sport. No wonder they hate us."

"She provoked me," Lorena spat. This woman does not know when to quit. I don't like her.

"And you provoked me," Godric said, his patience clearly being tested. He bent down closer to Lorena. "You disrupted the peace in my own home. I could snap you like a twig. And I haven't. Now why is that?"

"It's…your choice," Lorena whispered.

"Indeed it is," Godric agreed. "You're an old vampire, I can tell. You've had hundreds of years to better yourself, yet you haven't. You are still a savage. And I fear for all of us, humans _and _vampires, if this behaviour persists." Yay, he didn't mention Reapers. We're not savages. I don't think now is the time to mention that though, for the room was far too tense for that.

"You," Godric said, looking at Bill. "You seem to know her."

Even Bill seemed ashamed by this fact. "Yes, Sheriff."

"Escort her from the Nest."

Sookie gave her blessing. I certainly wouldn't have if it were Eric. Then again, if it were Eric, Lorena would have been staked already. Just a puddle of bloody goo on the floor. What can I say, I'm the jealous type.

"I wish you out of my area before dawn," Godric told Lorena firmly. Lorena looked like a scorned schoolgirl who had been lectured by her principal. Awkward. She even walked by me. She slowed down to wait for Bill.

I took my chance. "Do not threaten my friends again. Or you will deal with me personally." I gave her one more smile before she glared at me and shuffled away, Bill right behind her. Well, that ends that.

I approached Eric who stood thinking deeply to himself. "Sookie sure knows how to put on a show, doesn't she?" I grinned. He put an arm around my shoulder.

"Nero, do you always revel in the pain and suffering of others?"

"Me? Enjoying someone else's misery? I'm insulted Northman. I thought you knew me better than that" I smirked sarcastically. He laughed. I gave him a long kiss, unable to stop myself smiling.

"Excuse me everyone," a new voice called out. Eric and I pulled apart in confusion, and his eyes moved from me to the opposite side of the room, narrowing on a young man who looked stood near the entrance hallway. "If I could have your attention. My name is Luke MacDonald, I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Sun." Eric, without realizing it, tightened his grip on my shoulder, baring his teeth angrily. He crouched slightly, growling softly beneath his breath. All of the vampires tensed, some standing up in protective stances. "And I have a message for you all from Reverend Steve Newlin…"

He opened his dark, unfashionable jacket and revealed a bomb beneath it. Then, as time seemed to slow down, he pulled out a control and clicked a button. A bright light blinded me, my ears ringing as if the entire room was filled with white noise. I don't remember anything after that.


	34. The Aftermath

**A/N: **_**Thanks for all the reviews and follows and stuff! I love you all so much :) **__This was quite an awkward thing to write, because of the whole Eric-saves-Sookie thing and usually I hate it when OC characters just totally rip that off but hey, what can you do? Nero can be a damsel sometimes too, right?... Right?! Any-who, I've been planning this new story (yes, mythical creatures are involved but not Reapers :D) and I can't decide yet if I want it to be with Eric or Godric, because I think I'd centre it around Season 2. I don't know why I'm telling you this. My bad. And if the ending of this was a little gory, sorry..but you do watch TB so I mean..what do you expect? lol.. On with the story people!_

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><p><em>- Chapter Nine - <em>

**The Aftermath **_  
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><p>I must have done something truly awful in my past life. Really, I probably caused mass genocide of some sort, because I seem to be suffering a <em>lot <em>in this life. It's like karma is making me pay for whatever horrible thing I did in my past life. You would think knowing Bill Compton would be punishment enough, but oh no, not for poor, innocent little Nero. No, she has to be _bombed_. In a house filled with vampires and humans. Honestly, it can only get worse from here. In my next life I'll no doubt return as either a cockroach or a troll. Lucky me. You want to know what the very first thought was when I opened my eyes and saw blood dripping from the ceiling? No, it wasn't _why is there a heavy Viking sitting on top of me _and it wasn't _why do I even bother to exist anymore _or anything like that. I didn't even consider the mental scarring I had probably just gone through. I didn't even wonder why I was covered in blood, yet I could feel no pain. I simply thought, _Huh. That's the first time I've died from an explosion_.

Well, that's one to add to the long list of deaths I've suffered. Beheadings, drowning – which, personally, is my most hated death – and even poisoning. Eric had blood dotted all over him, and just as I looked at him, a bullet fell from a wound in his neck, landing on my tummy. Ew.

"Are we in Heaven?" I asked, half-joking.

"Sookie! Are you alright?" I heard a deep, Southern voice asked desperately.

"Never mind, Bill Compton is here, we're in Hell," I muttered, groaning in annoyance.

My eyes locked on Eric's wrist, which was healing, and something clicked in my mind. My tummy dropped as if someone had just given me horrible news. He'd given me his blood. _His blood_. That was why I was feeling perfectly fine even though we had just been bombed. Meaning he could feel my emotions, know where I was. Why did he do that?! The idiot! I warned him before not to do that, I don't _need _his blood! He had a smirk on his face, and I realized he did this purposely to gain some power over me. Ugh, that control-freak.

"Eric, what the Hell are you playing at?" I hissed.

"Half of your face was hanging off," he shrugged. "Most of your arm was gone, too, and your leg had a lot of glass in it. I simply sped up the healing process."

"Well you're not gonna get it," I growled, and he laughed again.

"You're right, not with that attitude. I saved your life. This is usually the part where you leap into my arms and thank me for my kindness."

"You knew I wouldn't die. You wanted to give me your blood so you could have a hold over me. So you could tell where I was and what I was feeling."

He shrugged innocently. "Is that such a bad thing?"

I rolled my eyes. "Can you get off me now? There's no need to straddle me."

"Hm, no, I don't think I will. I quite like this position." He leaned down and kissed me.

"You are so perverted."

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Always so pleasant, aren't you Nero? You should be grateful. Without me you'd be missing half your face right now. I know how much you like it, so I thought I'd help you out of the kindness of my heart."

"What heart?" I smirked, poking his chest. "I'm not very sure you even have one to begin with."

"You wound me with your cruel words, Nero," he sighed, pretending to look hurt. "It might not beat, but if it did it would only beat for you."

"Ugh, get off Romeo."

"Make me."

"Do suicide bombings always make you this playful Eric?" I asked. There was a lot of screaming, debris falling, people crying out for help. How could he be in such a good mood right now? Ah, blood. The smell of blood always drives a vampire crazy. I was right. Eric's fangs were out, and he was looking longingly at my neck. Ugh, blood-suckers. "Eric if you think we're going to get kinky right now you have another thing coming buddy."

"You ruin all the fun," he muttered. He titled his head to the left, as if confused before he bent down and kissed my cheek softly. Then he licked it, and smiled. "You taste divine Nero."

"Gee, thank you, I always wanted someone to mention that when I'm surrounded by dead people."

Eric helped me stand. I'll admit it, I could feel his blood pumping through me. I felt like I could fly, or dance for hours on end, or do cart-wheels in the garden. I glanced out at the garden just because I thought of it, freezing in my spot. Aw, hell. Daum and Gaum stood there near the dark bushes, waiting like vultures. I should have known Reapers would be called to deal with the souls of those who had died in this. I just hadn't expected them to be so _fast_. Daum met my gaze and gestured for me to follow him. He didn't look too happy. Eric had an arm around my shoulder, observing the scene.

"Uh, I will back in one moment, okay Eric?"

He looked confused. "Where are you going Nero? It isn't safe, if you haven't noticed."

"Oh really?" I asked stepping over a decapitated head. "My observation skills have been sharpened, actually, thanks to your blood."

"We can argue about that at the hotel."

"And I will go with you to that hotel in just a few moments. Have patience, Northman."

Eric opened his mouth to say more, but I slipped away just as Godric approached him. As soon I stepped into the garden, Gaum and Daum were on me like flies. They didn't hit me just yet, probably too furious to think straight.

"Fuck you Nero," Daum cursed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what did I do?"

"Do you see this behind you?!" Gaum hissed. "Do you know how much work we're gonna have to do? We're gonna have to clean up your mess!"

"Excuse me boys, but I was not the one to go blowing myself up in the name of God, now was I? No, I was a _victim_. Do you realize you guys had a lucky escape?"

"What are you talking about?" Gaum asked. "Lucky escape?"

"Yeah, you might have suffered a far greater tragedy if I had died in there, I mean, what would the world be without me in it?"

"Shut the fuck up Nero. We knew it was a bad idea for Reapers and vampires to mix, look at the mess we have to clean up."

"Oh please, you were both around for the World Wars, I'm pretty sure you can handle a few small deaths like this. It is your jobs, after all. Even if I _wasn't _here, you would still have to clean this up, so don't blame me or my friends."

"I wish you would just go home to Shreveport already," they muttered in unison.

"Wow, great, thank you, I am feeling the love guys. After what I've been through, you would think my friends would be kind and considerate, but-…"

Daum slammed me into the wall, which was already crumbling to pieces. I grunted as my head hit the hard concrete. Remember when I told you they had bad tempers? You see, I wasn't lying. Friends, huh? If I come back as a cockroach in my next life, these guys would probably be the ones to stomp on me and kill me. Daum gripped my throat like a vicious python, growling at me. "Why do you always have to cause trouble for people, Nero?" Gaum asked beside him. I didn't really get to answer, because both of them were suddenly smashed to the ground by a very large, angry vampire. Hello, Eric.

I hadn't realized Daum had been lifting me from the ground until I fell. Eric bared his fangs, crouching protectively and growling at the Reaper Twins. With one single hit, he had done a lot of damage to the twins. Daum's arm was bent at a weird angle from where he had fallen, probably breaking it in an effort to soften that fall. Gaum had hit his face against the concrete path in the garden, and now his nose was pouring blood like a fountain.

Daum cracked his knuckles as he stood up, which is never a good sign. I stood in front of Eric, raising my hands in defence. "Would you two knuckleheads look at yourselves?!" I snapped angrily. "Do you know what Grim would do to you both if you started a war with the vampires because of something as petty as collecting _souls_? Just because I'm here doesn't mean you can get angry about doing your _fucking jobs_! You exist purely to take those souls, so go do it, you idiots!"

Both of them glanced at each other, clearly thinking about what I had said.

"You should both remember I'm older than you. One call to your Secretary, and you're in trouble. Take care of the souls. _Now_," I hissed. "Touch a single vampire in there and I will murder both of you." That last part wasn't entirely true, because it was two against one, but I had to say something. I was practically pushing Eric away from them, listening to his dangerous growling as he bared his fangs in anger.

Daum rolled his eyes and forced his arm back into place. Gaum shrugged and stormed past us. He paused right beside me. He clapped me on the shoulder as if we were old friends, grinning at me. "That's the Nero we know. See ya later. But remember, you still owe us."

"Yeah, yeah, you psycho," I muttered, rubbing the back of my head. Ouchie.

Daum winked at me on the way past, and I wondered if the Reaper Twins had any sanity left when they were created by Grim. Insane idiots. They entered the crumbling house, joking and laughing with each other as if they weren't entirely surrounded by blood-shed. Even more disturbing, Daum picked up the decapitated head and made it talk to Gaum like a puppet. I thought I was going to vomit just looking at them, but luckily for me, a very angry Viking had grabbed my attention.

"Who the _fuck _were they, Nero?" he asked. His voice was deep and husky.

Trying to distract him and divert his attention from the twins, I smirked and said, "You know you look very sexy when you're angry, Eric."

"Don't change the subject." Rats, he got me. "What did he mean you owe them? For what?"

"Well, um, you remember when I turned up at the hotel, when you sat with Bill?"

"Yes, what does-…" he stopped mid-sentence, realisation filling his eyes. "They were the two Reapers you spoke of?"

He clenched his fists once again, and I had to grab his arms and pull him back to stop him going in there. "Eric, don't be stupid! I had to fight with them to find Godric! That's just what Reapers do-…"

"I don't care, two against one is hardly fair," he spat.

"You said we'd argue at the hotel."

He sighed, taking my hand. "Fine."

As we walked by Daum now pretending to make out with the decapitated head, I rested my own head against Eric's shoulder and smiled up at him. "Boy, we sure know when to pick the best time to have our first argument, don't we?"


	35. Grim's Tales

**A/N: **_I am so so so so so so so so so so *deep breath* **so **very sorry for the late update, and you have every right to be utterly furious with me. So yes, I apologise, but life got in the way with not having internet for two weeks, and then I had exams to study and do, so I really am sorry :)_

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><p><strong>- Chapter Ten - <strong>_  
><em>

****_Grim Tales_

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><p>"What did you do when you found out your daughter, your <em>baby girl<em>, was sleeping with a vampire, Tanya?"

A rather large, blubbering woman burst into fresh tears, sobbing dramatically into a hanker-chief. Her skanky daughter rolled her eyes and sank lower in her seat as if she were horribly embarrassed by her mother. If I were her, I would be more embarrassed by my choice of clothing. A barely there strapless top and a mini-mini-_mini_-skirt. I took a large gulp of my beer, swishing it around in my mouth out of boredom before swallowing. The daughter barely had any clothes on. She looked as if she hadn't eaten any food in weeks, which is something dating a vampire does to you – if you're human, that is. You begin to live by their rules. The camera zoomed in on the sobbing mother, then the fang marks on this kid's neck and finally to the very solemn looking host who was practically shoving the microphone into the woman's face and who probably didn't give a rat's ass about this family as long as it brought in ratings.

"Well I just couldn't believe it," the woman cried, once again mopping her chubby face and letting out a dry sob. "My Bianca, dating a….a bloodsucker!"

"Whatever Mom, you don't understand, he loves me!"

The crowd booed and scoffed at her, but she stood up and made some obscene gestures. Boy, do I love humans.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

My eyes drifted lazily to our bedroom door. Eric had gone to see his Maker, and had his own card to get in anyway. Therefore, if it wasn't him, then it wasn't important. I snuggled deeper into the comfy couch. I couldn't answer in a loose, baggy t-shirt with _Fangtasia _written across it now could I? My legs were bare, and although whoever it was would be bloody lucky to see me so exposed, they unfortunately wouldn't get the chance. I only turned the television up louder, swigging more beer. It was pointless, really, since I couldn't even get drunk.

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

"Go away please," I roared.

"Room service," a voice called back.

I rolled my eyes, sending an obscene gesture of my own at the door. "Didn't order any."

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. _

I muttered a few unfavourable curses beneath my breath, dragging myself off the sofa and walking – slowly, I might add, in the hopes that this weirdo would leave me alone if I took too long – towards the door. I glanced out the peephole, and saw a short, plump, dark-haired woman waiting impatiently outside. She was holding towels in her hands, and tapping her foot. Well, this was unpleasant already and I hadn't even let her in. Begrudgingly I opened the door, and met her with a cold glare.

"I didn't order any room service."

"Too bad." She pushed past me, flinging the towels on the floor carelessly. What kind of hotel is this?

"Excuse me, but what the Hell do you think you're doing?"

"Hell. Funny you should mention it." This woman pulled a cigarette out of her pocket, prepared to light it up.

"You can't smoke in here. The smoke alarm will go off," I muttered, pointing at the grey alarm box above her. "For someone who works here, you would think you'd know that."

"Well _damn_. Maybe I should just set fire to the whole _damn _place, how 'bout that?" she replied, grinning. She held a lighter in her hands, and then she threw it – still lit – onto the towels on the floor. I gasped, unable to help myself as the towels lit up in seconds. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Relax, Nero." The woman snapped her fingers, and the fire vanished. _Vanished_. Before my very eyes. "I can smoke if I want to. After all, it won't _kill_ me, will it?"

As she put the cigarette in her mouth, she began to…change. Like a shape-shifter, she became taller and paler in seconds. Her blue maid outfit was replaced with a very smart black suit, her hair seemed to shoot back into her scalp, becoming shorter and darker until it was black. It was slicked back, her eyes went from a dark brown to a light blue. She went from a small, normal woman to a tall handsome man. I felt my tummy twist nauseously, my Mark tingling when I realized that Death stood before me, casually lighting up a cigarette. He offered me one, probably hoping to break the ice and I politely declined.

"What's the matter, Nero? Don't tell me you're worried about your _lungs _being damaged. That's a human thing. We, on the other hand, can do whatever we like. Hell, I could set this place on fire right now and you and I would walk right on out without a care in the world." He stretched his arm out with the lighter still lit. "Maybe _this _time, I won't put it out."

When I said nothing, he laughed, smoothing his hair back and blowing smoke rings. Impressive. Grim liked to put on a show, I suppose. He looked like a Mafia boss somehow, and I was his next hit.

"Oh, God," I muttered under my breath.

"Uh-uh," Grim grinned, blowing another smoke ring and shaking his head. "He won't be helping you, Nero. He's a little busy, you know, like he always is." He sounded almost bitter. "Besides, you aren't a believer anyway. Hell, the day Nero worships someone other than herself will be the day _I _die."

And then he did something absolutely insane. He put out his cigarette by _burning his own flesh_. He simply rolled his sleeve back and burned it against his skin, his face entirely blank and expressionless. What did he want with me anyway? I must be in trouble. Death would not visit me for nothing. His eyes, which only a moment ago had been blue, seemed a dark black now. Uh-oh.

"You were suicide bombed, from what I hear."

"Yes, sir."

"Rather unfortunate. I remember the first time it happened to me," he said wistfully, looking away as if lost in a pleasant memory. "The moment humans figured out to make bombs was a dark day. For them, I mean. But don't you think, Nero, that it's a little strange that you come to Dallas and then, just by pure _coincidence_ there is a suicide bombing right at the party you happened to be at?"

"Well, sir-…"

"Shut it. I'm not finished."

I felt like a school-girl being scolded in front of a whole class by a teacher. I felt as if I were burning with shame, trying to avoid looking in his eyes for too long.

"Now I let you stay with the vampire Eric Northman out of trust, Nero, and trust means a lot to me."

He grabbed me so suddenly I didn't even have time to register it. He had flitted across the room in the blink of an eye and slammed me into the wall behind me, letting me fall on my ass. Ugh. He gave himself some time to fix his hair before he bent down to my level.

"You're gonna tell me in very simple terms _why _you betrayed my trust, Nero. I mean, I gave you a chance to be happy with this bloodsucker, on the condition that it doesn't cause me any problems. And what happens with months of this? A bombing in the home of your boyfriend's Maker. Do you know what an embarrassment that is to me? Your fellow Reapers were not pleased to hear I was letting you stay with the vampire. Trouble, they said. That's all this will bring is _trouble. _And they were right. So we're gonna end it, unless you can give me one good reason not to."

"Fellowship of the Sun," I hissed, and he paused.

"Excuse me?"

"Fellowship of the Sun," I repeated bitterly. "A cult. They hate vampires. They kidnapped Eric's Maker, they were gonna kill him. But he managed to escape and they…they were coming back for some revenge, I suppose."

He stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. My eyes widened as I watched him in baffled amazement. He was _laughing _at me! When he saw my expression, he tried to control himself, failing miserably. "I'm sorry Nero but a _cult_. Only you. Only _you _in all of the beautiful Reaping world would manage to get herself tangled in a vampire-hating cult that tries to bomb her."

"Tell me about it."

"You know, I miss the days when all humans did to please their Gods was sacrifice a goat. Then they moved onto human sacrifices, and that was fun to watch, but then it got so out of hand," he said, sounding strangely as if he were complaining about it, expecting my sympathy. "Well, Nero, luckily for you, I believe you. And if what you say really is true as I think it is, I will forgive this little…indiscretion."

He stood up and outstretched a hand to me, helping me stand up. He glanced at his watch. "Aw, I'm gonna be late for a suicide Nero, so I really must get going. But you listen to me-…" – he grabbed my shoulders harshly, pulling me closer – "I don't have _time _to deal with your fuck-ups. I came here to kill you, you know? I didn't want to, but I wasn't gonna let a Reaper make a fool of me by telling me she wouldn't cause any trouble by dating a vampire. I was gonna kill you because you _did _make trouble, Nero, and if it happens again I won't be so lenient. I'm a busy man, Nero. Count yourself lucky. Next time it might not end so well."

My legs felt like jelly, because he was grabbing my neck and holding it so tightly. I hated to admit it, but he petrified me.

"Oh, and one last thing…" he grinned. He stuffed a familiar piece of parchment into my hand. My List. I had almost forgotten that I worked for this man, simply because all I could think about was the fear I felt at the fact that he had come here to kill me. I was so close to dying all because I had messed up and embarrassed him. Grim, as you know, doesn't like it when people do that. Of course, I didn't _purposely _get myself into so much trouble with the vampires and the Fellowship – it just happened.

When I looked at Death again, his gaze was focused on the television, where the blubbering woman was now trying to talk to her brat of a daughter about _why _vampires were so evil. Grim was smiling.

"I _love _that show. Reality television, one of the best things humans ever made," he laughed. He clapped me on the back. This guy was sending some really mixed signals right now. One moment he was playful and humorous, but then he was terrifying and made me feel like I could burst into tears like that woman on the television. "So, Nero, I think I made it perfectly clear. I will check out this Fellowship of the Light-…"

"Sun, sir."

"Whatever, they're all the same to me. I'll look into it myself. Cults have always been very…_interesting _for me, because I'm always portrayed as the bad guy. Oh well, what can you do? Keep yourself out of trouble Nero. Like I said, I might not be so nice next time. Then you'll see the _real _bad guy."

He slapped my cheek gently, grinning at me. He lit up another cigarette as he strolled towards the door. I didn't know Grim liked to smoke. Like he said, it wouldn't kill him. He could do whatever he pleased. Just as he reached the door, there was a knock. He swung it open without even thinking about it. Sookie stood there in her dressing gown. When she saw him, her cheeks went a little red, probably because she thought he was just a very handsome man. He tipped his imaginary hat at her.

"Hello Miss Stackhouse, pleasure to see you," he smirked. He glanced back at me. "Goodbye for now, Nero, it really was _lovely _talking to you again. I hope our next meeting is just as pleasant!"

"Yeah. Me too."

When he had finally left, Sookie stood looking baffled. "Who was that? How did he know my name? Nero, are you okay, you look a little scared? Did he do something to you?"

I had never been so pleased to hear Sookie Stackhouse speak, even if she was asking too many questions for me to answer at once. I took a deep, shaky breath in the hopes of calming myself.

"That, my friend, was Death. He knew your name because he probably knows everyone's name. I'm fine. He just wanted to kill me is all. Nothing big."

I smiled at her, enjoying the look of utter confusion on her face. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish. And, after a few moments of watching the gears in Sookie's brain trying to work this out, she finally gave up and said, "I think we better find Eric."


End file.
